Mary Chan - Customer Service Advisor

Hello! I’m Mary, and I’m a Customer Service Advisor (CSA) at Vincent Place in Southampton. I joined Student Roost in early 2020 following a chance encounter (more about that later!) and in 2021 I was named as the winner of the CSA of the Year Award at Student Roost’s annual award ceremony.

I’m originally from Hong Kong, and six years ago I decided to take a career break and go backpacking across the world. My first stop in the UK was the north of Scotland, and as soon as I arrived, I knew I wanted to move to the UK permanently.

Three years ago, I moved to Southampton. I thought my education and career experience in Hong Kong would make it easy for me to get a job, but unfortunately, this was not the case. My friend Amy, who was actually a resident at Vincent Place, informed me that one of the CSAs had landed a new job so there was a position available, and she encouraged me to apply for the role.

I’m so glad I did.

At first, I wasn’t sure it was the right role for me as I didn’t have previous experience working in student accommodation, and I was hesitant to apply. All those hesitations left as soon as I was asked to come for an interview. I realised the role of a CSA was so much more than a role; it would be the start of my new career in the UK, and I could bring my experience and knowledge from roles I held in Hong Kong to the job.

I still feel lucky that I was chosen to join the Student Roost team.

Although there are tasks to be done such as replying to resident emails and booking enquiries, room viewings, parcel collection and more, each day is different and makes coming to work so much fun. My favourite part of the role is taking care of our residents and planning events; I still laugh when I remember the fashion show we organised for national flip-flop day!

You have a lot of opportunity at Student Roost to learn new skills, establish yourself, and develop your career. I’ve felt nothing but joy since joining the company. They appreciate new ideas and encourage you to voice your way of thinking, and have accepted my ideas and opinions.

There is such a positive environment throughout Student Roost, and it’s great to work with such a mix of people. I’ve learnt so much about cultures throughout the world just through talking with my team members and residents.

For anyone with positive thinking, a big smile and determined to make a difference, I would encourage you to apply to join the Student Roost family. There are so many opportunities for you, the role is energetic, and you’ll realise your potential and how much your opinion is valued.

Take a breath, press the apply button, and get excited about joining us. We’ll be so happy to have you!