Amy Binns is the Academic Partnerships Representative at Epigeum, working with institutions and businesses in the UK and Europe. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Modern Languages at the University of Exeter, and has worked in translation and as an English Language teacher in France and Spain. In her spare time, Amy can be usually be found either reading, out walking, or spending time with her family and friends.

What brought you to Epigeum?

Before Epigeum I worked as an English teacher in Europe, so when I decided to move into publishing I knew that I wanted to continue working in education. Being new to the world of publishing, Epigeum stood out for me for a few reasons; firstly, as a born-digital training provider the prospect of being ‘ahead of the curve’ was exciting. Also, as part of Oxford University Press, Epigeum has charitable status, which means that all profits are reinvested into education and research. Finally, I liked that Epigeum has an international reach, with the opportunity to meet and partner with institutions across the globe.

Which parts of your role do you enjoy the most?

Almost everything about my role is collaborative, and that is my favourite aspect of my job – our collaborative approach to creating our courses means that I am constantly working with institutions to find out what their needs are and how this will shape the training that we develop. Additionally, all the teams within Epigeum work together closely, meaning I get to work with my colleagues in Marketing, Publishing, and Production, as well as my own team. It means that I get to speak to a lot of different people every day, which I really enjoy.

What does your workspace say about you?

I am never without a cup of tea and my desk is always covered in lists and post-it notes, which I’d like to think makes me look organised! I am an aspiring plant person and would like to have some on my desk, but I sadly haven’t had much luck thus far.

What do you do in your free time?

I love being outdoors, so I walk or run a lot with my dog and hike when I can. I studied French and Spanish at University and have found that after graduating I have really missed learning and practicing new languages, so I am trying to keep this up. There are quite a few polyglots at Epigeum, especially within my team, and many of us have decided to start learning a new language during lockdown. I am spurred on particularly by my colleague Nick Broom, who checks in regularly with us to find out what league we have all reached on the Duolingo app!

Tell us something we don’t know about you.

On my first scuba-diving experience I had to take part in an emergency ascent as our instructor passed out at the bottom of the sea, which was 15 metres underwater. I suspect this will be my last scuba-diving adventure, and I’ll be sticking to snorkelling from here on out.

To find out more about Epigeum’s work with universities and colleges, or to arrange a consultation, please get in touch with us.