Marketing Programmes Specialist Review

I had a great year, learned lots of new skills and had plenty of opportunities to network and learn more about other areas of the business. I got to learn a lot about what I do want to do and what I don't want to do in the future. I built great relationships in the company, both professional and personal, I learned a lot about the business and got plenty of guidance from the senior staff which helped me decide what to do next.

I felt very valued by my colleagues and management within the small team I was a part of. We had occasional social events with our team who tried to engage us as much as possible and make us feel welcomed. My task manager expresses gratitude and appreciation when we completed tasks and ensured we felt like our work hasn't gone unnoticed. I felt valued by other interns in the team when I was helping them as well.

I had continuous support from my task manager. We had regular calls and she was available for me to call if I had any questions even on her day off. The rest of the management in the team were also very helpful if we needed anything. My colleagues ( two other interns in the team) were also very helpful. We completed many tasks with each other's assistance.

I was fairly busy throughout the year, which I like. First 3 months felt like they weren't as busy due to the fact that my manager took it slow and let us get a grasp of our roles before we get swamped. After the 6 month period, we took complete responsibility for our roles and after Christmas the busiest times started . I enjoyed it because I prefer being busy rather than having to make myself up tasks out of boredom.

I was given many individual responsibilities and took ownership of my role. I managed various reports that were essential internally and for partners, I managed case studies - success stories of partners and their clients, I ran multiple events throughout the year which included organisaiton, promotion and running on the day. I also managed creative content for events and workshops such as video and infographics.

I learned various skills that will not only help me in my education but also in personal development. I worked on analytical software on various reports which greatly improved my excel skills. I learned the basics of coding on java script, to use photoshop to create infographics, and adobe premier pro to edit corporate videos and learned to use semi professional film equipment.

The atmosphere in the office varied. Sometimes it was very quiet and dull and sometimes it was very hectic. On Fridays it was only me and 3 others in the office and so it was very quiet, however that gave me an opportunity to catch up on my work without any distractions. Some days it was very lively and fun, especially when we ran events which were very busy but exciting and interesting.

The whole placement was set up fairly well. We got lots of support form the foundation team at the start of the year and were assigned internship managers to help guide us through the year, however they were there for us to reach if we needed anything ourselves. The role was a real functioning role, not a made up intern role, which is good because you have an opportunity to make real impact on the business.

In terms of training and development, if we needed or wanted to learn something we had to go out and look for it. We had to organise our own community meetings, our own workshops and our own technical training if we desired it. I think it would be useful if the company invested some time for the technical training and other education, especially seeing as it is a tech company.

I wouldn't come back to IBM. Mainly because I feel like it would be counter productive to my personal development. To grow and develop more skills I would need to work in a different environment such as a marketing agency for instance. I would like to work at a little more client facing role, more creative and more dynamic. I would like an opportunity to plan campaigns and create my own content.

It was a good social scene. Many of the interns made friends. There were social activities going on every week and almost every weekend. Many of the interns were new to London and thus went to explore the city together. There also was a company netball team which gave interns an opportunity to social more. To my knowledge they played every week on Wednesdays.

It was very expensive. London generally is. Although we got local discount of 10% in nearby bars and restaurants, it was still very expensive to go out in central London. Nevertheless that didn't stop interns form going out and socialising. There are plenty of student and other deals around to help with the costs for those kind of activities.

There were a few bars nearby but I wouldn't call that nightlife. We were based in Southbank though which is a short walking distance from Southbank and there you'll find plenty of places to visit after work. Majority of interns went out around the Clapham area which has many more affordable places. Depends on what you call nightlife really, and how much you are willing to spend.

There were many opportunities to get involved with people outside your role and have a chat. However, sometimes a chat is all there was. It is often advertised here to take on shadowing but many people who you ask to shadow will often say to you that they don't have anything exciting happening so it won't go much further than that. You can always initiate yourself activities that you want to do but it's not always the easiest thing.