Robin Das___________________________________________________________________________________________

I am a self-starter and an excellent communicator with a varied, international working career in public relations and TEFL education. I have a strong track record of working in marketing and media in the public sector, with particular strengths in internal communications, researching, writing and seeing a project through from conception to completion. I have written for several leading travel websites, guidebooks and magazines, with a focus on language, history and travel.___________________________________________________________________________________________

2008 to present Freelance Writer Contracted by Time Out travel guides, Stay Poland and City Life websites, Easy Jet

and English Matters magazines, Krakow Post and Glossa school.

Key Accountabilities: Delivering articles, photography and reviews to a brief, on budget and within time frames,

via documents and CMS. Researching news, events and features about European cities for listings, articles and

mini-guides for travel websites and magazines. Pitching, researching and writing feature articles on a range of subjects including history,

science and the British way of life for a best-selling English language Polish magazine. Reviewing hotels across Poland for a top rated hotel booking website. Employed as a 'mystery tourist' to monitor tourist guides' use of English.

Achievements: Used local knowledge of Krakow and Budapest (e.g. Jewish life in Budapest) to expand

travel guides' listings and articles thereby increasing traffic and building brand reputation. Helped build brand awareness of travel company Stay Poland through improved reviews

and new Facebook page. Secured front-page scoops in Krakow Post (e.g. Poles in the U.K). Contributed to improving customers' overall experience at one of Krakow's top tourist

attractions through feedback on guides' tours. Helped increase circulation and widen scope of 'English Matters' through greater variety

and language level of articles.

2008 to 2014 English as a Foreign Language Teacher, Krakow, Poland Profi-Lingua and Glossa schools

Accountabilities: Teaching English to adults at colleges and at private companies. Achievements: Student satisfaction rate of 4.7 out of 6 (June 2014; Profi-Lingua school).

2006 to 2008 Internal Communications OfficerMarketing and Communications Unit, Ealing Council, London

Key Accountabilities: To communicate to staff and key stakeholders their role and responsibilities in change

programmes, government policy and internal staff campaigns. Editor of the council's in-house magazine and writer and photographer for the residents'

magazine. (Researching, writing and photography of 80% of the in-house magazine.) Producing a weekly communications email digest for all council staff. Researching, writing and submitting council award entries. Promoting council officers as event speakers.

Key Achievements: Redesigned staff magazine leading to 82% positive staff rating. Promoted Employee Forum which helped boost staff involvement in decision making. Secured scoops for the council's flagship residents' magazine, including interviews with

Hanif Kureishi and Catherine Tate. Project managed short-listed award entries for key service areas. Led on staff campaigns, such as lunchtime food recycling, which increased said

recycling rate by 27%.

2002 to 2006 Media Officer Marketing and Communications Unit, Ealing Council, London

Key Accountabilities: To promote and defend the work of the council to media to secure positive press coverage. Selling in positive stories to national media. Produced weekly press cuttings bulletin for councillors and directors. Evaluated and recommended media databases for council purchase. First point contact for council media enquiries.

Key Achievements: Secured feature coverage in trade press of Ealing's looked after children programme. Promoted Ealing's multi-million change programme to press, radio, TV and trade press. Secured national TV coverage of Ealing's stick the gum to the celebrity posters. Improved effectiveness of the press team through purchase of media databases. Achieved coverage on BBC and ITV news bulletins and in national, regional and trade

press, with a range of positive council news stories (e.g. Ealing Summer Festival).

2000 to 2001 Team Co-ordinatorAdvisory and Counselling Service, London Fire Brigade, London Increased usage of the unit to fire personnel by developing an intranet site, a family ofco-ordinated leaflets and promoting the service to new recruits.

1999 to 2000 Events Co-ordinator Borders Books, London

Organised and promoted in-store events, such as book reading groups and book readings by authors, such as Felicity Kendall.

1997 to 1998 Exhibition Co-coordinator Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia

Responsible for design, construction and organisation of exhibitions, including StarTrek and technology exhibitions.

1992 to 1996 Members’ Liaison Officer Lewisham Council, London

Research and advice service to local councillors, including designing and writing the councillors' newsletters, report writing and minute taking.

1991 to 1992 Research Assistant

Harriet Harman MP, House of Commons, London Research duties, including research into ambulance response and AE waiting times for Labour executive health policy documents.

Qualifications and languages

2008 Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Certificate 2001 Diploma in Public Relations 1990 BA (Hons) History and Sociology 2:2 1987 3 A' Level passes grades C,D,D 1985 6 0' Level passes grades A-C

Competent in basic Polish.______________________________________________________________________________________

For further information:

Reference contact details supplied on request. Copies of certificates supplied on request.Copies of published articles supplied on request.