CRUK Summer Intern 2016 Review

I really enjoyed being an intern at Cancer Research UK, I was very grateful to be given the opportunity to work with them and be involved in some really important projects as well as understanding the importance of their work in the wider world.

To a large extent, i was very fortunate to be given the opportunity to work with such a lovely team. My line manager was very helpful and friendly, always understanding when i could not come in for one day or had to leave early due to work. I was very grateful. Also when i would talk to the other colleagues they were always lovely, I felt like i was one of them with the jokes that we would have on a daily occasion.

My supervisor helped me whenever I needed help or confused with anything that i did not completely understand. Also when i was doing other projects with other colleagues they would give me tips on things to do better or how to do certain things so i believe that I received a good amount of support!

At the start of my internship and the end of my internship, it was really quiet which is understandable and for the end of my internship i agreed that doing more projects would be impossible as i would not finish them in time. However in the mid of my internship i was incredibly busy that i had to do extra work at home, but i enjoyed it i enjoyed being on the edge of my toes and being completely busy.

A lot of my projects I was given full responsibility, there were times where I had to pay large amounts of money to another organisation and had to ensure that it was paid correctly and to the right person. Also I had to build relationships with other companies and organisations for CRUK and it was really important that i remained professional because i was the first point of contact to the charity. I was very grateful that i had this amount of responsibility i would have never received it anywhere else for sure.

I have definitely developed in my confidence and public speaking due to frequent events that I had to organise and speak at with cancer research uk. This will be incredibly important when it comes to presentations that i will have to do at university and my degree. I was extremely reserved and shy at the start of my internship and i realised that it is best to be outgoing and just live life without any worries so i began speaking to more people and i was amazed at the amount of advice that I received. I study English lit so i have been doing a lot of writing in this internship - though I feel i need to improve on my grammar before university begins!

The atmosphere at CRUK was extremely welcoming and friendly. Everyone always seems to be laughing and having a good time. When it's lunchtime the canteen is always full of bubbly and lovely people and when it is sunny and hot everyone is up on the roof, enjoying the british heat! So it is an extremely lovely atmosphere to work in and i was very fortunate to spend time here.

It was incredibly organised. I salute the volunteering team who were in charge of it - the supervisor who organised the first day/induction day followed by drinks at jamies; also all the frequent events that we had organised for us it was really lovely and i felt really special and involved. Also the projects that I had to do with my team was really good and gave me an insight

I completely commend my manager - she always mentioned what do I want out of this internship and what do i want to develop and what do i want to do. She never refused (unless within reason) and she always wanted me to develop and do the best that I can and i cannot thank her enough for the support in my development she has given me. Also in the company in general, there was always sessions such as cv, interview, linkedin, presentation etc that helped us to develop skills that we were not aware off. I think i knew already the stuff on the cv and I do not believe it would have applied to me but aside from that i think it was incredibly helpful for those who did not know.

I will be going back to university so i would not be able to work with them in the next year. However if i was not, i would definitely apply to them as i love the atmosphere and i truly enjoyed being a part of the team and helping out with any queries that they might have had. Also I see how many people enjoy their job working for an organisation fighting against a big killer of mankind so it was extremely lovely to see that because nowadays a lot of people say 'love what you do' not 'do what you love' and i believe at CRUK it is definitely a mix of both!

Some of the interns frequently organised Thirsty thursdays which was great to meet people and get to know them better as although it is 12 weeks together we are still newbies and at the end of the internship we will go back to our old lives whether uni or working so it was great to make new friends and learn more about others. Also my team is very social - although i could not go to all of the drinks (which was a lot) that they organised i made sure to go to as much as possible and the rest of my time here!

I lived at home so i did not have to worry about the cost of accomodation - however london is a very expensive city and Angel is very expensive as well so i found alot of things quite expensive. Pret and Itsu which are yummy to eat but very expensive, however it was not always affordable to eat at. Luckily the bars we went to for drinks normally had a CRUK discount attached to it which was great and same with the restaurants as well - perks of working for this charity.

I never really went out to the nightlife in Angel so i am not too sure - but i know there is o2 academy which is amazing for concerts and performances.

We had frequent fundraising opportunities to raise money and beat the previous intern fundraising target and it was really fun because we got to work in teams and raise as much money as possible - all going towards beating cancer sooner. Also there were opportunities to volunteer at different events such as wireless festival, summer in the city etc and that is something that would not be possible in internships. Very fortunate and very grateful to be given the opportunity.