High Value Supporter Partnership Intern (Oxford and Cambridge Boat Races Review

I really enjoyed this internship primarily because of the people I got to work with. I had an amazing manager and team who made me look forward to coming to work each day - they really want you to enjoy the internship as most of them were interns in the past. Having 30-40 other interns in the building is a great bonus as well and the internship has been much more sociable than I expected with weekly drinks and intern fundraising events. I have also really enjoyed the work I have been doing - it is 100% not a photocopying/getting coffee internship. I have been lucky enough to do venue viewings, have real input on our marketing comms and build relationships with supporters.

Extremely valued. As this internship is unpaid, teams are really grateful for your time and are keen to make it as worthwhile as possible for you. Within High Value Supporter Partnerships, I was working on a brand new partnership so there was only myself, my manager and a graduate - my manager explicitly said that they would not have been able to commit to all the projects they had without having an intern, so you make a real difference!

I had weekly 1:1's with my manager where we would go over my project plan and personal development goals as well as our weekly team project plan where we could keep track of everyone's progress. I felt very supported throughout the internship and my manager said I could put in some extra time with her to go over specific tasks. My wider team High Value Supporter Partnerships were also very willing to help the interns - senior managers and executives all put time aside to give me advice and I had several meetings with people from other teams to get their help.

My internship definitely got busier towards the end as that was when our three events were, but I would say I was busy throughout - there was never nothing to do. One of the great things about this internship is that there is so much to get involved with from your own work, to intern fundraising projects, to volunteering at events - it's really up to you how much you want to take on.

I was given a lot of responsibility which for certain tasks can be quite scary but I had good support throughout. E.g. before my first high value prize ask call, I sat through someone else's prize ask to see how it was done and then they gave me feedback on my first call. This way, I learnt how to improve and gained confidence until I could do them by myself. Having said this, everything is up for discussion with your manager and you can ask for more or less responsibility depending on what you're comfortable with.

As this was the spring intake of interns, I (and almost all of the interns) had already graduated. This internship has definitely made me more employable and I have really interesting examples to use in interviews to demonstrate competencies which is ultimately why I took this internship in the first place. For those looking for permanent roles in the sector, there are a number of internal vacancies that have come up which interns are really encouraged to apply for and in terms of applying to other charities, this internship is really respected. I would still recommend this internship to people who don't want to be in the sector long term - the projects are really interesting and the skills are definitely transferable to other sectors.

I worked in the Head Office in Angel so there is a definite buzz about the place. There is always something going on - bake sale, fundraising stunts for World Cancer Day, stalls for local organisations . Overall, it is a very happy and fun place to work and there is a lot to do around Angel in terms of cafes, markets, restaurants and bars.

Very well organised. You are sent information before you start the internship and for the induction day, most teams give you a brief presentation to tell you a bit about what they do. The more detailed organisation will come from your manager - my manager had produced a project plan for me on my first day outline what she wanted me to achieve over the internship. There is also a intern co-ordinator who checks in with you throughout the three months to make sure everything is on track.

CRUK invests a lot in its interns. We had a dragons den type set up to improve our team work and presentation skills. HR put on CV/application/interview/LinkedIn workshops for us as well as a 1:1's for our CV. For those who want it, CRUK facilitates shadowing of other teams so you can get an insight in to other departments.

Very appealing - most interns I have spoken to want to come back and work for CRUK full-time. Most of the employees here were interns at some point which shows how much they invest in their interns and what a great organisation it is to work for,

The intern group is very sociable. It is easy to meet other interns for lunch and we go for drinks each Thursday near the office. Although we are all on different teams, working together on intern fundraising projects allows you to get to know each other well.

It is expensive to live in London, but luckily there are a lot of discounts for CRUK staff in local businesses around Angel. The internship isn't paid, but if you can make this work with your living costs, I would definitely say it's worth it.

Angel has a lot of pubs and bars and we have been spoiled for choice on Thursdays for intern drinks.

There are so many opportunities to get involved with activities outside of work! There are sports teams for staff, pub quizzes, plenty of fundraisers and teams often have their own weekly drinks.