In Singapore, Jiang Ke-Yue is a Deputy Chief Prosecutor and Norine Tan is a Deputy Public Prosecutor. In Cambridge, Ke-Yue is a Corpus Christi student studying the MPhil in Criminology and Tan is a Jesus student studying the Master of Law (LLM).

I had met Tan and Ke-Yue during International Freshers week this year when I was organising a walk to Grantchester. When they told me they were prosecutors back home, I was taken aback. Like most undergraduates, I mainly interact with other undergrads. Sometimes, I completely forget about how accomplished the postgraduates at Cambridge, or in general, are. Both Tan and Ke-Yue are on a scholarship sponsored by the Singaporean government.

During the interview, we successfully snagged a spot at Selwyn bar, a hidden favourite amongst the Sidgwick students. When you think of a typical Cambridge student, mature students don’t immediately come to mind. While both Ke-Yue and Tan prefer working to studying, this has been an exciting change of routine for them that has allowed them to explore who they are.

Ke-Yue especially highlights that after working for 20 years, it’s good to have a career break, especially for your self-development. Ke-Yue began practicing as a commercial lawyer before switching to work as a prosecutor. “The practice of law felt overshadowed by the demands of business," which he felt he wasn’t suited for. The higher Ke-Yue was in the hierarchy, the more importance on business, rather than the law, was placed.

“My job is generally to do what I think is right”

After six years in commercial law, Ke-Yue switched to a bigger law firm. He realised that even in a bigger firm, “the monetary rewards were not enough to keep me in the job," he felt “burnt out," and was “not seeing family regularly”. He pondered what he truly liked about the practice of law – which was court work. Consequently, he made the choice to switch to work for the Government prosecution.

Speaking to both Tan and Ke-Yue, they both have an admirable desire to contribute to the greater good. Tan has also had a stint in commercial and civil law, later realising that “civil law challenges my mind more, but criminal law speaks to my heart more”. When I asked Tan about her favorite part of her job, she added that “the public service most likely will not offer money, power and prestige … but my job is generally to do what I think is right”. Tan knows that although this job can be difficult, and even emotionally draining, it is the right job for her.

Both Tan and Ke-Yue agree that being away from home feels unreal sometimes. Ke-Yue finds difficulty being away from his wife, four kids, and work, however, the amount of time he has to himself now allows him to “regain fitness” and “learn something new everyday”. For Tan, she certainly misses “family, friends, and food” too. When I ask them about what their favourite restaurant to visit is when they’re homesick, Ke-Yue and Tan give a shoutout to Yim Wah express on Lensfield Road.

Tan’s dual identity as a prosecutor and a student can provide a unique and relevant perspective to her classes. In two of her subjects ‘Criminal Justice’ and ‘Race and Gender Issues in the Law’, this is especially evident as it covers criminal processes. Tan is also able to contrast and challenge her “default” perspective with her classmates – defense counsels from New Zealand, Australia, and more.

"Because the postgraduates’ work experiences are so diverse, they are not as surprised to hear that [Ke-Yue] is a prosecutor"

Ke-Yue further highlights the joy in learning about his cohort. He’s met students who are lawyers, police officers, forensic scientists, veterans, and more! Because the postgraduates’ work experiences are so diverse, they are not as surprised to hear that he is a prosecutor. If anything, “the surprise is that I’m 45 and pretending to be young," Ke-Yue jokes about the age gap differences even within mature students.

Tan wants to bring “the mindset of questioning” that has been reignited here into her legal career when she gets back. Here, she gets to ponder questions like ‘is this the law’, ‘should it be the law’, ‘can what we are doing be improved’ and countless more. This critical thinking, as an officer of the law, is more important than ever.

For Ke-Yue, he realises this year off work gives him the ability to realise whether he enjoys what he is doing— and he certainly does. He calls it “a big luxury” to be able to learn specific things like the causes of crime or how statistics can be manipulated for a certain agenda, which he hopes to ultimately contribute to policy-making.

Tan and Ke-Yue still have two more terms remaining in the academic year, but one thing’s for sure: they’ll make the most out of the time they have here. Tan and Ke-Yue advise professionals considering returning to school to “just do it” because “if you never try, you never know”.

Want to share your thoughts on this article? Send us a letter to letters@varsity.co.uk or by using this form.