2025 Autumn Term Week 1

Do you Parkrun? Already enjoy running? Want to start running?

Fancy a 5k run or walk to start your weekend?

Join your Language Centre friends (and anyone else you wish to bring along) at 9am on Saturday 22^nd November at the Battersea Parkrun for a 5k run or walk and we will bring post run snacks to make the early start feel worth it. All you need is your trainers and whatever you wish to run in. The hardest part will be getting out of your front door. The best part will be crossing the finish line!

See Maggie in the Huddle if you have any questions and we hope you can join us on the 22 November.

What is Parkrun?

It all started in Bushy Park near Kingston upon Thames, London, and now takes place all over the world on Saturday mornings at 9am. Each event is put on by volunteers.

If you sign up to the Parkrun website and get a barcode then you will get a results email with your finish time. Never run Battersea before? You will get a PB no matter what!

Battersea Parkrun is a 2 lap flat run around a beautiful park on the bank of the River Thames. There are toilet facilities nearby and a bag drop for any belongings you need to bring on the day.

Battersea Parkrun

If you enjoy the event then this is a great way to see different parts of London, as there are 65 different Parkruns to try out here in Greater London alone.

There are various training plans online if you want to build up to this or just come along and see what you can do. The following link is one example of a plan which should help you get Parkrun ready:

Get running with Couch to 5K - Better Health - NHS

Maggie Evans
Staff and Student Relations

We are very pleased to introduce sports sessions this year in collaboration with the LSE Student Union, from Week 3 of the Autumn term, on Tuesdays from 4-5pm. You will see a voting system has been placed in the Huddle for the different options for the first term. Join in and participate in a league of the most voted for sport!

Possible sports:

• Basketball
• Badminton
• Futsal
• Ultimate Frisbee

If you are keener on mindfulness movement, yoga and taichi will also be possible. We look forward to seeing you all back and active!

Inés Alonso García
Teaching and Learning Facilitator

Get involved in the LSE Language Community!

Are you interested in meeting new people while gaining experience in leading discussion groups or 1-2-1 sessions? Volunteer to help other students become fluent in your language and know more about your culture.

The Language Centre is looking for volunteers to run two programmes:

• Conversation Circles: You will be leading a small conversation group for 1 hour for 5 consecutive weeks.
• Bitesize Speaking: 1-2-1 support - Meet up with students on a 1-2-1 basis to help them practise their languages.

The sessions will run in weeks 7-11 of the Autumn term, with the option to continue in the Winter term.

Training and advice will be provided on how to lead sessions, including example activities. We will also provide you with a certificate of participation.

We need volunteers who are native speakers in the following languages: Arabic, English, French, German, Mandarin, Russian and Spanish.

For more info:

• Take a look at the LSE Language Community or drop us an email
• Talk to previous volunteers on your course
• Pop in and see Helen or Inés in the Little Huddle (G.08)

To apply: fill in the volunteer application form

Congratulations to Dr Catherine Xiang whose latest book, Bridging the Gap – An Introduction to Intercultural Communication with China (LID Publishing), has won the Business Book Awards 2025 – Specialist Business Book Award.

The book supports leaders, educators, and practitioners to communicate, collaborate, and build trust across cultures—core to LSE’s mission of shaping the world.

The Business Book Awards celebrate excellence in business writing and publishing, recognising authors whose work contributes to business, leadership, and society.

Read more about how Catherine won the award on the LSE website and you can read a review of the book on LSE Review of Books

Find out more about Bridging the Gap

Congratulations to two of our students, who had their research papers published in the Journal of Chinese for Social Science earlier in the year; please click below if you would like to have a read of their papers:

Derin Bohcaci: BSc Language, Culture and Society

Lim Le Yi Kelly: Mandarin - Level Five (Current Issues)

Please make sure to check your Hub calendar, events for you should be listed!

Careers Consults drop-ins commence
Friday 03/10/2025, 2-5pm, The Little Huddle
Language Centre students on campus

Pizza and SAMs 
Friday 03/10/2025, 5-7pm, The Huddle
Language Centre Year 1 and SAMs

Friday drinks commence
Friday 03/10/2025, 5-7pm, The Huddle
Language Centre students on campus, including General Course students

Welcome back meal
Wednesday 15/10/2025, 7-10pm: Palm Court Brasserie, Covent Garden
Language Centre Year 2, Year 4 students

Language Community Sessions begin: Conversation Circles, Bitesize Speaking
Monday 10/11/2025: LSE Language Community
All LSE Students

GO LSE Study Abroad Briefing
Wednesday 12/11/2025, details to be confirmed
Language Centre Year 2 students

Hi everyone,

My name is Alex and I am your dedicated Careers Consultant for the Language Centre.

I'm really looking forward to working with you this year in support of your career planning. I've worked for LSE Careers since January 2020 and originally came to the School to complete a PhD.

I will be providing drop-in sessions in the department on the following weeks and times in the autumn term:

You are also welcome to book appointments with LSE Careers directly using our CareerHub platform.

Additionally, I would like to encourage you to check out the LSE Careers events programme, which you can review and sign up for specific events on our website.

I also wanted to make you aware of several useful online tools to support your career planning, which include:

• the CareerSet AI-based CV checker
• Shortlist.me for practicing interviews with an AI tool
• Graduates First for psychometric testing practice
• Forage for virtual work experience opportunities
• eCareersGrad for support with tackling interview questions.

If you would like to get in touch with me directly, please feel free to drop me a line via a.j.free@lse.ac.uk.

Best wishes for an interesting, rewarding and fun academic year!

Dr Alex Free
Careers Consultant | LSE Careers

What’s your favourite part of London?

Probably Chinatown. I think it's a vibrant and interesting part of London, and the atmosphere, smells of food and general energy remind me of when I used to live in China & Taiwan. Although the shops are a little over-priced, it's still a good place to go for snacks, drinks and products you can't get in the supermarkets!

What’s your favourite spot on campus?

I like the Square area in the centre, especially with the addition of the trees and flowers. Throughout the year, it reflects the life of the campus - the Christmas tree and decorations in the winter, the posters and signs for Welcome Week and Graduation, staff and students bustling to class, or just sitting outside in the spring and summer. I often see familiar faces there in passing, so I'd say it's my favourite spot.

What is the most useful advice you can give to a new student?

Much of my role involves advising students on a range of study-related issues, but I suppose my best piece of overall general advice for a new student would be to make use of the support on offer at LSE. Whether that be Language Centre courses to help with use of English, study workshops at LSE Life, the Careers Centre, etc., there will be something useful and interesting that will improve your studies, social life and general experience! A lot of new students can also feel like it's only them who are struggling with the reading lists, assignment writing, or time-management, so I'd say check out the support and "don't worry, it's not just you".

What is the best thing about your job?

I feel extremely privileged to have this job and there are many reasons why - however, the best thing about it is that every year I have the chance to meet, work with, and get to know hundreds of people from different countries around the globe. It's really interesting; I certainly learn a lot from them. The only downside is that the students are the same age every year, whereas I get older!

How do you relax at the weekend?

We have a nearly 4-year-old daughter and a dog, so the opportunities to relax are limited! However, we spend a lot of time outdoors or walking nearby, which is a good way to relax. I also like to go for a run with the dog, if the weather allows.

Do you prefer the sea or the mountains?

I love the sea - you can swim in it (or admire it if not), beach comb, look in rockpools, build sandcastles - all sorts. I like being near the sea, whether it's stormy and violent, or peaceful and placid. Having my daughter has been a great excuse to insist on seaside holidays in the past few years, as she loves it too!

What’s your favourite season and why?

All the seasons have something to recommend them, but the best one is definitely summer. I like the higher temperatures, the trees with their leaves, and especially the long evenings when you can look outside at 10pm and it's still light enough to see.

What was the last book you read?

I'm doing a lot of reading these days for my studies as well as bed time stories, but in my free time I'm presently reading through the Witcher books by Andrzei Sapkowski. I finished the first book, "The Last Wish" last week and I'm now half way through the second one. I wouldn't say they're the best books I've ever read, but if you like the TV show and maybe the video game back in 2015, then they're certainly enjoyable!

Simon Mathews
Coordinating Language Teacher - EAP

Be sure to follow us on the Student Hub and Instagram – we post regularly with news and updates; on Instagram we post photos and reels after events.

You may be interested in being an LSE Content Creator and create content for us - get in touch if you would like more information!

The Student Union Modern Languages Society, which has been running for several years, currently does not have a committee.

Would you like to revive it?

The President, Secretary and Treasurer posts are up for grabs. If you are interested please contact: Warren Bingham: W.Bingham-Roberts@lse.ac.uk