Entrepreneur/CEO
StudentFunder

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Juan – Entrepreneur London

00:01

My name is Juan. I am the founder and CEO of a company called StudentFunder.

00:07

You know, in Mexico there’s a huge gap between independent education and government education and so my mother, who was divorced, had to work very hard to keep my sister and myself in private education, which was the best she could afford for us and we were very conscious of that. So we had to keep our grades at 95% or higher, to keep the scholarships that we needed to stay in school.

00:39

So I’m originally from Mexico and when I was 19 I could not afford university. So I figured out that in Germany it was almost free.

00:48

Receiving a letter of acceptance from the German university, it was quite a scary moment because for like five months I’d been planning this dream of going to Germany. I was 18 and then suddenly I get this letter, you’ve been accepted. Oh dear, not I have to make it happen. Where do I even start? And, you know, I started fund-raising, throwing concerts and doing all kinds of things.

01:13

And then, yeah I got to Germany and there was this point where I had no money. I didn’t have money to eat or pay the rent or anything.

01:22

I juggled 10 different jobs and got my degree, learned a bit of German, a bit of Polish. I just had to keep pushing and somehow and maybe things would work out. But definitely, if I didn’t push, things would certainly not work out.

01:35

And then, after a few years of work, I was accepted into an MBA programme here in the UK and the only trouble was I was still missing some of the money, even though I had a few scholarships and I was thinking, oh not again. But this time I asked the university whether they would lend me money. I needed £10,000 and they offered to give me 5000 as a scholarship and I said, well, that’s great but I need 10, so I’d rather borrow 10 than take 5 for free. In the end it was so complicated for the university to give me a loan that they just  gave me the whole 10 as a scholarship, which was great for me. So that stayed in the back of my mind and I was always very grateful because even though it had been hard for me, I was able to reach opportunities that many other people didn’t have.

02:26

I guess the last turning point happened while I was at my corporate job. I was being paid very well to do not very much. I mean there was activity but it wasn’t very meaningful and not very stretching either and I felt that I could lead a comfortable life if I just stayed put or I could try to put my assets to the best and highest use and I couldn’t think of a better use for my skills and my time and my passion than solving the problem that I always suffered from.

03:02

So I said, what if I just started a business to help other people  overcome the problems that I faced and so I one day left a cosy corporate job to set up a company called StudentFunder, that provided loans on deferred terms to people trying to pursue professional or postgraduate courses, because these courses are not covered by the government or banks.

03:27

So I guess in a way, people worry too much about  having this cause  or having this passion or having this dream and you need to have one, otherwise you’re nobody. Well, no, there’s no rush. Your dream, your cause, your passion, whatever it is, will come and find you. But the more different things you try, the quicker it will come and find you because you’ll start finding that path and pulling on that thread.

03:54

END OF TRANSCRIPTION

 

“Your dream, your cause, your passion, whatever it is, will come and find you. But the more different things you try, the quicker it will come.” Juan grew up in Mexico and went to university in Germany, before moving to the UK. He left a comfortable, corporate job to set up StudentFunder, helping others overcome the problem he experienced himself in funding his further studies.

More information about Chief executives and senior officials

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£104,000
average salary

The UK average salary is £29,813

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36
average weekly hours

There are 37.5 hours in the average working week

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77%  male 
23%  female 

The UK workforce is 47% female and 53% male

Future employment

Future employment?

Description
? This unit group includes those who head large enterprises and organisations. They plan, direct and co-ordinate, with directors and managers, the resources necessary for the various functions and specialist activities of these enterprises and organisations. The chief executives of hospitals will be classified in this unit group. Senior officials in national government direct the operations of government departments. Senior officials in local government participate in the implementation of local government policies and ensure that legal, statutory and other provisions concerning the running of a local authority are observed. Senior officials of special interest organisations ensure that legal, statutory and other regulations concerning the running of trade associations, employers’ associations, learned societies, trades unions, charitable organisations and similar bodies are observed. Chief executives and senior officials also act as representatives of the organisations concerned for the purposes of high level consultation and negotiation.
Qualifications
Entry may be by appointment or internal promotion, as appropriate, and is usually based on relevant experience although candidates may also require academic qualifications for some posts.
Tasks
  • Analyses economic, social, legal and other data, and plans, formulates and directs at strategic level the operation of a company or organisation;
  • Consults with subordinates to formulate, implement and review company/organisation policy, authorises funding for policy implementation programmes and institutes reporting, auditing and control systems;
  • Prepares, or arranges for the preparation of, reports, budgets, forecasts or other information;
  • Plans and controls the allocation of resources and the selection of senior staff;
  • Evaluates government/local authority departmental activities, discusses problems with government/local authority officials and administrators and formulates departmental policy;
  • Negotiates and monitors contracted out services provided to the local authority by the private sector;
  • Studies and acts upon any legislation that may affect the local authority;
  • Stimulates public interest by providing publicity, giving lectures and interviews and organising appeals for a variety of causes;
  • Directs or undertakes the preparation, publication and dissemination of reports and other information of interest to members and other interested parties.
  • Analyses economic, social, legal and other data, and plans, formulates and directs at strategic level the operation of a company or organisation;
  • Consults with subordinates to formulate, implement and review company/organisation policy, authorises funding for policy implementation programmes and institutes reporting, auditing and control systems;
  • Prepares, or arranges for the preparation of, reports, budgets, forecasts or other information;
  • Plans and controls the allocation of resources and the selection of senior staff;
  • Evaluates government/local authority departmental activities, discusses problems with government/local authority officials and administrators and formulates departmental policy;
  • Negotiates and monitors contracted out services provided to the local authority by the private sector;
  • Studies and acts upon any legislation that may affect the local authority;
  • Stimulates public interest by providing publicity, giving lectures and interviews and organising appeals for a variety of causes;
  • Directs or undertakes the preparation, publication and dissemination of reports and other information of interest to members and other interested parties.
  • Analyses economic, social, legal and other data, and plans, formulates and directs at strategic level the operation of a company or organisation;
  • Consults with subordinates to formulate, implement and review company/organisation policy, authorises funding for policy implementation programmes and institutes reporting, auditing and control systems;
  • Prepares, or arranges for the preparation of, reports, budgets, forecasts or other information;
  • Plans and controls the allocation of resources and the selection of senior staff;
  • Evaluates government/local authority departmental activities, discusses problems with government/local authority officials and administrators and formulates departmental policy;
  • Negotiates and monitors contracted out services provided to the local authority by the private sector;
  • Studies and acts upon any legislation that may affect the local authority;
  • Stimulates public interest by providing publicity, giving lectures and interviews and organising appeals for a variety of causes;
  • Directs or undertakes the preparation, publication and dissemination of reports and other information of interest to members and other interested parties.
Employment by region
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Top 10 industries for this job
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Computer programming, etc 8235
Head offices, etc 7460
Auxiliary  services 7269
Financial services 5349
Legal & accounting 4889
Education 3947
Other professional 3426
Travel, etc 3322
Health 3149
Real estate 3095
Employment status
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