Work Experience with Prince Nicolae of Romania: Q&A with Oliver Frankel

My name is Oliver and I currently study BTEC Business Enterprise at NSCG Newcastle College. I have always been very focused on my career and have always pursued my goals with determination. 

When I was about seven or eight, I started to sing. It immediately became clear that I wanted to be a professional classical singer, so I started my soloistic career. In 2019, I first sang with the Schönbrunn Orchestra in Romania’s’ biggest concert hall and went on to have the honour of singing the Romanian National Anthem in The Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest on the National Day of Romania. 

I then joined the Vienna Boys' Choir in January 2020, where I was the main lead soloist along with some of my friends. Sadly, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, tours in China, Japan, Korea and Germany were all cancelled. However, I was fortunate enough to experience a three month tour of the USA and Canada, singing in 50 different concerts and ending with a performance in Carnegie Hall in New York for Christmas. I also had the opportunity to sing alongside world-famous singers like Joyce DiDonato and Olga Peretyako, as well as sing the main theme of The Lord Of The Rings Power Series.

Even though we hadn’t been on tour of Asia and had been considered the unluckiest Choir in the history of the Vienna Boys Choir, I was still able to gain experiences that I will be forever thankful and grateful for.

In my last year at the Vienna Boys Choir, I realised I no longer wanted to pursue a career in music. I wanted to travel the world initially from a very young age and maturing made me realise that the competition in the music industry is far greater than most people think. I started to research pathways in order to get into the business industry as I knew I had great speaking and socialising skills which are very important within the business sector.

After finishing lower school in Austria, I moved on for an additional 2 years of high school. Normally you are meant to continue for another 4 years and then do a big exam covering 4 subjects. The subjects would normally be Maths, Music, German, English and then another one of your choice. 

It was then when I learned more about the British school system, which allowed 16 year olds to progress on to college and choose a subject that they love. After doing research I started to look into British colleges and immediately NSCG popped up.

Initially I knew that I had to do my GCSEs and I was looking to live in a more relaxed area. With NSCG being located in between Manchester and Birmingham, and not too far from Liverpool where my grandparents live too, it was a great option.

NSCG had the Ofsted Outstanding and after visiting the college, it proved to me that it was a great organisation and the college looked tidy too. There wasn’t once a time where I thought the communication on email was lacking and their marketing activity on both their website and Instagram looked appealing and professional. 

There are many aspects I enjoy; however, I really like the friends and people I have got to know. I have been able to hang around with people who I have things in common with such as music taste, character and personality. It is a place where there are a variety of opportunities offered, such as different courses and extracurricular activities. It is a friendly place and nobody seems to fall out, which is what makes life at college different to any other schools I have been to in the past.

When I heard that I had to gain a weeks’ worth of work experience, as always, I wanted to get the most out of it. I started to look in to what my career path could look like and what skills I might need. I decided that my main focus would be sales and establishing a new business. 

Fortunately, my dad is a friend of Prince Nicolae of Romania and was able to help secure my work experience with him. 

I was very excited to start my work experience, because it was a very unique experience,. Not many people get similar opportunities and although he told me that January was a quieter work period for the family, I still had a great time. I was able to learn so many things about him and the history of the Royal family.

On my first day I met Orlando, the Private Secretary and I was also able to be part of a panel discussing applicants for a position for one of the Princes’ initiatives.

I was then tasked with researching websites with good layouts and design to gather inspiration for the Prince’s own website. The site will be used to sell products including royal chocolate pralines and chocolate bars, with plans to include coffee, salami, cheese, honey, candles and jam. His business is called “Maison Bordeaux”. 

On Tuesday, we evaluated the work I did on the websites and then went to an evening event where I met lots of people, including the UK ambassador of the UK to Romania, Giles Portman. 

The following day, we travelled to Saschiz, for a business meeting with the owner of an Organic Romanian Traditional Gourmet Factory that sells jams and chutneys that Prince Nicolae was interested in using to expand his business. Thursday was a much quieter day, however my task was to research wrapping and packaging options for the business. 

On my last day, I was given the chance to lead a meeting with a company that the team was interested in working with and wanted to know more about. Prince Nicolae said he was impressed with the questions I asked, however when he stepped in towards the end I noticed the difference in the approach he had compared to myself so it was a great learning curve. 

Most definitely, yes! I was able to be very observant not only learn essential skills for business, such as communication and sales, but I also learned more about Prince Nicolae and the history of Romania. I had achieved all the skills I was hoping to achieve, and Prince Nicolae put a lot of effort into trying to expose me to different experiences. 

I know there are plenty things left to learn, however it takes time to develop and putting them into practice is the only way one will learn. Although I am incapable of playing the piano after years of practice, I know it’s because I didn’t put in the time and effort back then to learn. Some wise words from my Japanese Piano Teacher, Ms. Misumi: “Exercise makes the master.”

I would like to either be self-employed with my own business, or in a firm within the wealth, AI or tech industry.  I am still looking at the different career paths I could go down within these industries in order to achieve the life and lifestyle I believe I deserve. 

I believe everyone should live their life to their fullest, trying to love every moment of their journey no matter what career they are in.

I would like to be an example in the near future for young entrepreneurs. 

I want to travel, inspire, work hard and keeping learning. My main focus is of course travelling, however creating myself the cashflow to fund the lifestyle I desire is, and will always be, a top priority. A good work/life balance is something I truly value.

I really wanted to make positive changes to the college environment and I’ve been able to spend time with the Students Union to have a positive impact. 

Outside of college, I’m also very proud to have been chosen to sing for the annual new year’s eve concert in Vienna in 2022, which was broadcast to more than 120 countries and more than 90 million spectators.

Me and my twin brother are currently working ambitiously on a business idea. 

I would advise every student to be ambitious with their life. Make an effort to secure good work experiences, where they can develop useful skills within their field. It is important to always be conscious and aware of how important work experiences are for self-growth and development. 

Go chase your dreams, but always make sure to know how to make your dreams come true.