By: Kirstie Davies, Commercial and Contracts Compliance Officer

I am the Commercial and Contracts Compliance Officer here at DFC. My main role is to facilitate and complete the negotiation of our client appointments and assist the wider team with commercial matters.

In September 2022, I began my Master of Laws (LLM) in construction law and practice at the University of Salford. This course is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and is delivered entirely online with a dissertation submission at the end. The course covers the following modules: fundamentals of construction law, construction contracts (operation and administration), liability and complexity in construction law, and dispute resolution (law and practice). I am currently on my second module and have studied: contract formation, implied terms, variations, scope changes, the construction process and procurement methods, standard form contract suites and BIM, so far.

When I first noticed this course, I spent a lot of time thinking about whether it would be appropriate for me and why I wanted to do it. Some striking points stood out such as the course is part-time and is entirely remote, which allows me to both study and work full-time whilst maintaining a work-life balance. I really enjoy working at DFC and strive for success and progression, with the ambition to maybe run my own commercial team one day in light of our significant growth. This course will allow me to expand my pre-existing contract knowledge and specialise in construction law, benefiting both me and DFC. Also, I thought improving my knowledge and gaining an additional qualification, is surely only ever going to be a good thing, right?

Of course, I would be lying if I said working whilst studying has been a walk in the park. It can become stressful at times, especially when I’ve got an assignment deadline looming, but DFC offer ways to help with this. For example, I have the flexibility of either working in the office or from home, which means that on some days, I can use the time I would spend commuting, on working on my assignment instead. I can also request study leave to ease the pressure of deadlines and work commitments. The directors at DFC were really positive when I approached them about this course and I was provided with nothing but support, reassurance and encouragement. I have complete confidence that I can always ask them for help if it ever becomes too much. Everyone checks up on me as well to see how I am getting on, if I am still enjoying the course, and if there is anything they can do to help. Support like this is really uplifting and helps me to remain positive throughout.

The following are some of the things I try to do, to make working whilst studying as efficient as possible:

Making sure to still maintain a work-life balance
I have an online lecture on a Wednesday evening which is two hours long and I spend around 6/7 hours, reading or chipping away at my assignment on a Saturday, to ensure that I can rest and watch the F1 or football on a Sunday. I take breaks and spend time outdoors with my hyperactive springer spaniel, Barney the barmpot too!

Plan ahead
I try to start my assignment as soon as possible. Leaving it to the last minute only causes stress and panic. I have a diary and allocate set times in the evening and on the weekends to work on my assignment, with free time allocated where possible. I aim to try and submit a few days before the deadline too in case anything goes wrong during submission.

Shout up if I need help
I make sure that I ask for help, study leave or anything else I might need if I feel like I am struggling. As previously mentioned, DFC offers various support mechanisms, which I can rely upon in the event I am feeling particularly stressed or worried.

Ask questions
My tutors at the University of Salford are extremely helpful, and I can email them and submit snippets of my assignment or questions at any point in time. For this reason, I always make sure I ask questions whenever I feel as though I haven’t quite understood something. I am also part of a WhatsApp group with my fellow students, where we often ask questions and help each other out as well which is always nice!

Have awareness of the support groups available
The University of Salford has a support network called AskUs which has a student hub page (where I can locate information on things like strikes and events) and a frequently asked questions page. They also offer information and advice on finance, wellbeing, counselling and accommodation. The library offers workshops to help with academic and IT skills as well. I also often have a natter with my fellow ‘working whilst studying’ colleagues too, to share thoughts and feelings and to see how they are getting on as well.

To summarise, working whilst studying is far from easy and is most definitely a very big commitment. It can be challenging both mentally and physically (turning to doughnuts to get me through the dark times of assignment writing probably doesn’t help) but, the support provided by DFC helps me focus and prosper whilst both working and studying, and I will always be grateful for this. Anything is achievable if you really put your mind to it!