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Andrew Watters

Name: Andrew Watters
Home/EU/Overseas: Home
Course/Graduated: BSc Philosphy, Politics and Economics (2011)
Current role: Economist, Bank of England

Could you sum up your experience of Economics at Warwick?

Challenging, interesting and fun! It gave me a great grounding in micro, macro and international economics, as well as a solid grasp of the basics in econometrics

How did the course and department prepare you for life beyond graduation?

My role at the Bank of England requires me to be very familiar with a range of economic theories, as well as to be able to analyse economic data and use econometric techniques. Studying economics at Warwick gave me the knowledge and skills, in particular, multivariate regression analysis, national income and expenditure accounting and the drivers of inflation that has enabled me to put theory into practice in my current role.

Please tell us about your career up to now.

During my undergraduate I undertook two summer internships at the Financial Services Authority. After my Masters in International Political Economy, I started work at the Bank of England as a Credit and Sovereign Risk Analyst. Then I moved to the Bank's International Directorate as an economist, working on the euro area. I am currently on secondment to Her Majesty's Government.

What steps did you take to find employment?

I knew I wanted to work in the public sector related to economics and finance. I undertook two internships at the FSA, then applied for the graduate programme at the Bank, as well as the Civil Service Faststream for government economists.

What does your current job involve?

My role at the Bank involves monitoring the euro area economy and financial system, in order to advise members of the Monetary and Financial Policy Committees. In practice that means assessment of things like the current macroeconomic outlook, potential growth and banking system balance sheets.

What kinds of extracurricular activities did you get involved with at Warwick and have any of these assisted with your career?

Working as a member of the Warwick Welcome Service taught me how to spot gaps and make myself useful! Sitting on and an executive committee of a sports club helped me develop professional skills e.g. strategic planning, chairing meetings and resolving conflict.

What’s the one piece of advice you would give to current students?

Get experience of applied economics. The theory only made sense to me when I started looking at real world data!