HeyMath! Consultant: Charlie
'An air conditioned gap year!'
Ok so perhaps not a completely accurate description, but when prompted for an immediate one phrase summation of the first three months of my time at HeyMath! by a potential applicant, it was the first thing that came to mind. Just to set things straight, It's not a gap year and air conditioning can only ever work when you're inside. Nevertheless, taking the opportunity presented to you by HeyMath! is not only a great introduction to the work of work, but a brilliant chance to explore and try something a little different to cycling to and from linear algebra in the rain, wind, hail or snow slush.
A little about me. I did my maths part II before spending a year doing the MST course at the Judge Business School. With my four years completed I kind of fell into the position at HeyMath! having not really worried about what I wanted to do after Cambridge until I'd actually left. This was probably not the smartest move, but by blind luck I seem to have found myself on a winner, so much so that I've extended my stay here to the full year having previously agreed only to a seven month placement.
If you're concerned about living in a new country, don't be. HeyMath! provides apartments with electricity, internet, drinking water and a nice cleaner lady who comes a few times a week. Also, the lingua franca is English and the cost of living is pretty much non-existent. You can still go to the cinema for Hollywood releases, drink Coca-cola, wear Nike and get Dominoes take-away if you so wish. People here know Barack from Blair, can tell you who the current Champions League winners are, and while possibly drawing a blank at Mussorgsky will know the soundtrack to any major western film backwards. Simply, the Sun still rises in the east and sets in the west (though sometimes you can't really be sure what it does in between).
If you're unsure about working for HeyMath! don't be. The benefits are easy to see. You get a large variety of work, a lot of flexibility in working hours and get to work in a great business culture. Your colleagues are supportive, there are opportunities to travel the world, and the work itself is very rewarding, especially when you consider the thousands of classes in which your lessons may be shown across the globe. The level of organisational innovation and ability to adapt means that new and exciting projects are constantly knocking at the door meaning that work is always motivating and the loose management structure allows you early access into the most interesting areas of work.
Finally, if you're scared to come because you don't consider yourself the exploring type, don't be. With hill stations which really do rival those in the north, excellent beaches everywhere along the coast, a large proportion of the most impressive and spiritually important Hindu temples in the world, wildlife parks holding elephants, gaur, deer and a spectacular array of exotic birds, backwaters that make you forget that time even existed and a whole heap of local art forms and customs, there's something to draw even the most reclusive hermit into the great outdoors. There is a plethora of options for weekend trips from Chennai, and paid leave provides the perfect time to explore all over south India.
Oh yeah, and the curries aren't half bad either.
