STUDENTS at Malmesbury School were captivated by a talk from a BBC foreign correspondent at last week’s careers fair.

Jamie Coomarasamy, a journalist and presenter with the BBC World Service, talked to year 12 students and year 10 language students about his career covering stories all around the world and the value of studying a foreign language.

In the early part of his career, Jamie, who is fluent in French and Russian and speaks some Polish, was based at the BBC’s Moscow bureau before a stint in Warsaw in the late 1990s.

He then became a reporter based in Paris before becoming the BBC’s Washington correspondent.

Jamies's inspirational talk was followed by a series of workshops for year 12 students with a focus on the value of studying humanities, languages and english beyond school.

The workshops were hosted by representatives from BAFTA, Penguin Random House, Bath Spa University, the University of the West of England, The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, The Department of Work and Pensions and Worldline.

Charlotte Morris, humanities teacher and organiser of the event, said: “It was an absolute pleasure to be joined by a stellar group of Malmesbury School alumni who are now working in varied and exciting roles.

“They shared their experiences in fields as diverse as law, charity fundraising, publishing, arts funding, public relations, film making, horticulture and historical research.

“It was absolutely wonderful to welcome them back to school and see all that they have accomplished.

“We are grateful to all of our visitors for giving up their time and sharing their stories”.