Research Strategy Intern Review

I've thoroughly enjoyed my time at Cancer Research UK, they really invest in their internship scheme and provide you with a whole host of opportunities along with career workshops. The atmosphere around the office is vibrant and it is an extremely fun place to work. I've also made friends with a fantastic group of interns, expanding not just your social network but allowing you to engage and learn about multiple departments within CRUK.

I worked within the Research Strategy & Evaluation team and I really felt part of their team, I became involved in so much more than just my project and was highly impressed with how valued I felt. We regularly had lunches, post-work drinks etc and this really added to the experience of feeling valued. We had regular thank you events and this really helped add to the value placed on interns. I would also say wider than my team, the overall organisation also values everything interns do, in particular the intern fundraising we have participated in.

Support and guidance was good, regular 1:1's and feedback on the progress of my projects was really valuable. I learnt a significant amount about the world of consultancy and picked up significant skills and knowledge I did not previously have. Although I was often given a lot of autonomy on the direction of the parts of project I was working on, I felt like the regular catch up's were sufficient to ensure I was being steered in the right direction.

I was kept extremely busy, it was manageable but just bare in mind that you will have to throw yourself into every opportunity that comes your way. Aside from your individual projects you have the opportunity to get involved in workshops, intern fundraising and even additional volunteering (for example I was in an advert with CRUK). I would also say there was plenty of socials which was a really great way to get to know your colleagues and fellow interns.

I had an incredible amount of responsibility which is part and parcel of working in the charity sector. I was working on a high priority translational research strategy project and felt like I always had real input on the project, in particular elements of the desk-based research I participated in was featured in the overall strategy presentations. This added to the idea of feeling valued and was extremely useful. I would also say you could always ask for my responsibility and take on leadership roles from within intern fundraising.

It has given me a broad understanding of the cancer research landscape, it has enabled me to understand what it means to think 'strategically', looking at and addressing problems from a higher level of thinking. I think I have developed presentation skills and assimilation of information and these will be particularly valuable when I go back to final year to complete my studies.

Busy, vibrant with always something going on. I mean it is simply an office so there is a limitation on the amount of activity that can go on here. However, in general I was rarely stuck behind my desk for long. They run plenty of additional talks, including inspirational speakers and also [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyPlacement Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions] CRUK's CEO who is a great laugh and does some really great speeches.

Our placement organiser was fantastically, I would say the application process could be improved as I received invitations to multiple interviews and it didn't appear that the departments talked to each other and there was a lot of miscommunication. However, whilst I was at the internship I have had no issues with the organisation, everything is scheduled around your outlook calendar and so it is very well organised.

They invested heavily in me and my personal development.

I wouldn't say you get offered a job straight away from doing an internship with them. However, they do give you a lot of coaching and training on applying to the grad scheme and entry level roles. You get the chance to apply for a mentor and this can prove really valuable in getting the connections and exploring your options from within the organisation. I wouldn't have had a clue about some of the departments within CRUK without this, I have come out with a much better idea of what types of job roles I would like to apply for.

Amazing social scene, I've picked up some really good friends and there's around 40 interns so you are never far away from someone who is in a similar situation to you. You build up a really good support network of people and the social scene often extends to your managers and team as this is a fairly young and vibrant workforce.

Angel is a fairly upmarket area of London and the prices in the pubs do reflect this. However, we do get significant staff discounts at several places and I never found the cost of living and socialising too burdensome. I would say that they are moving to Stratford in 2019 so there is possibility for the cost of living/socialising to go down rather than being in more central London.

Nightlife was great plenty of pubs and clubs in central London.

I would say that you could volunteer and get involved with so much, whether it is intern fundraising, adverts or even some very special high profile events, there is always something available for you to get involved with. Socially there is thirsty Thursdays and you get such a tight group of intern friends that it is great!