Digital Tester Review

I enjoyed it a lot. The social side of things was great because there were so many other interns who were in the exact same new position as you. Spending time with them and sharing experiences was great. The office atmosphere was really nice too, the perfect balance of professional and relaxed so that my first few days weren't too intimidating.

I felt fairly valued. I got positive feedback on ideas but I didn't feel like there was enough structure to my specific internship role for me to do enough valuable work that would lead me to feel valued. The work I did was appreciated by my colleagues but I don't feel that they thought it was particularly beneficial to their short term goals.

My original manager wasn't great. I didn't feel like I was on their radar, like they weren't prepared for me to arrive. I had really great support from a colleague who I worked quite closely with though so in the end it felt more like I was being managed by them. The internship scheme coordinator though provided loads of support.

At the beginning of the internship I felt like I was twiddling my thumbs a lot, this stemmed from my manager not giving me a clear enough project or objective. However, when those issues were cleared up I became quite busy. Participating in intern fundraising activities also filled up my time and the days ended up going so quickly.

I was given a decent amount of responsibility. I was trusted with projects that would have an immediate affect on their website shop and therefore possibly their sales so this was a big deal to me. I did feel like my role was a proper part of the team and I wasn't just given menial jobs to keep busy.

The skills I learned will help me loads. Not only with my studies but with my future prospects in a marketing career. I learnt how to use a myriad of programmes and technical tools that are valued in the industry and the internship scheme hosted loads of training workshops to improve various digital and personal skills.

The office atmosphere was great. There was always something going on in the canteen or a team doing a bake sale. The interns put on a few events which were really fun. There are loads of people working in the office and so loads of teams. The team dynamics vary but nowhere seems hostile.

The actual application process was slightly confusing, you have to apply to a 'stream' which includes one or multiple job roles. However, you don't know what these job roles are until you complete the application. This makes it a bit difficult to be specific in your application and know what to say to improve your chances of being invited for an interview. Once I arrived the internship coordinator was great and laid all the information out clearly, however I don't think my manager was prepared for an intern well enough. An improvement I would suggest is ensuring that the team who is receiving an intern clearly lays out what the intern will be doing and their goals for the placement and have the appropriate training set up.

CRUK was brilliant at making sure the interns were given every opportunity available for self improvement. I really felt that although I was volunteering my time, I was getting just as much back from them. There were loads of workshops on CV writing, presentation skills, Microsoft programmes and they give you the option of shadowing anyone in the company.

Fairly appealing, there are loads of different roles available and a good graduate scheme. They send you all the information on job opportunities so you can see if anything would be suitable.

Yes! There were loads of interns and we'd go out after work most Thursdays or other times in the week. The interns would be who I would go to for lunch and meet in the canteen. I met some great people who I got on with really well both in and out of the office.

It's London, so very pricey. I commuted from home outside of London so travel was expensive but I was able to expense all travel costs. The internship scheme provided £4 a day for lunch which won't go far if you want sushi but within the subsidized canteen you can get a really decent lunch or a Boots meal deal.

Loads of bars and pubs around but didn't really hit the clubs. Great for an after work drink.

Loads! Given that CRUK is a charity I was always getting invited to fundraising events. The interns also arranged their own social events and they were really fun too.