Intern Review

The work I was given was generally very engaging and I had the to freedom to make suggestions and add my own ideas to my main project. The staff and other interns are very friendly and made me feel really welcome. The intern coordinator organised socials and other activities as well, such as intern drinks and a Dragons Den competition, which were fun and helped the interns to get to know each other.

I felt as if the project I was completing would be really beneficial to the company and that my hard work would not be wasted. Suggestions I made were implemented which really made me feel like my opinions were valued and taken on board. By the end of the internship I almost felt like another member of staff.

My internship role was quite technical and therefore in the first few weeks I was having one on one meetings with my manager almost every day in order to understand enough for me to start my project. Afterwards I had less frequent but still regular catch ups with my manager which were a great opportunity to ask questions, review drafts of my work and get feedback. My manager was also happy to answer quick questions whenever and if he was busy other members of the team were very helpful. There were also plenty of people to get support from outside of my department, including the other interns, intern buddies (members of staff who have been interns before), my intern mentor and the internship coordinator.

I was fairly busy but my work load wasn't so heavy that I was stressed about deadlines. My project was one that could never really be finished and could always be added to or improved and so I could never run out of things to work on. My manager always tried to give me a reasonable amount of work - enough to keep me busy but not too much. We only started working on new pieces to add to my project when I was in the final stages of the last ones. Although, at some points I did have quite a few pieces of work on the go at once, which some people might find hard to manage, but I actually enjoyed the variety and being able to switch between tasks if I got bored.

I rarely communicated with external people and so I had very little responsibility in the sense that I didn't feel like I was representing the charity very often. Although, I was trusted with private data and completed a couple of pieces of work that were sent to other organisations and so I felt a responsibility to make sure these were up to a good standard (even though my manager of course checked through everything before it was sent off).

As a part of my project, I had the opportunity to learn the basics of new pieces of software and improve on my skills with software I already had experience with. These will be really useful when finishing my degree and will be good additions to my CV. Through a series of personal development workshops I also brushed up on my interview, CV/cover letter writing, pitching and LinkedIn skills, which I am sure will be helpful over the next couple of years as I transition from university into the world of work.

The atmosphere was amazing. Everyone feels as if they are working towards a greater cause no matter their job role. People are generally more easy going and friendly in charities too. The office itself is also fantastic. It is very colourful and the open office means that you pass by lots of people on a daily basis.

It was very well organised. I agreed how many day's a week I would be working as well as my start and end dates with my manager before I started. You also feel as if you are working to a timeline with 2 week, 6 week and end of placement reviews organised in order for you to keep track of your progress and reflect on how it is all going as you progress.

There were lots of opportunities for personal development. This was a topic discussed with our managers during reviews and with our mentors. There were also a series of workshops held in order to improve general skills such as presenting and for software like Microsoft Office. I also attended workshops on interview skills, developing a LinkedIn profile, CV/cover letter writing and set up an appointment with a HR advisor to review my CV.

Very appealing. I will definitely keep an eye on graduate job opportunities and apply to any roles that suit me as I'm nearing graduation.

There was a very good social scene. At the beginning activities like intern drinks were organised by our internship coordinator. But by the end the interns were independently organising drinks, lunches and trips to the roof (there is an amazing view over London)! As a group we also organised fundraising events to raise money for CRUK. These included bake sales, a pub quiz and even a 10km snapathon across London! I had a few lunches out with my team over the course of my internship too.

It is not a secret that London is very expensive and the offices are based in Islington which is pretty central (zone 1) and so it is no exception. I am fortunately a student already based in London and so I incurred no extra living costs except for travel and lunch (which CRUK reimburse up to a certain limit). The office is within walking distance of Kings Cross Station and so lots of the interns and staff commute in from north London and the surrounding counties, which is more affordable. CRUK have a good staff canteen which is reasonably priced and there are lots of other places to buy food in the surrounding area (including supermarkets for people on a budget).

Islington is in central London and so if you are looking for a busy nightlife there are unlimited options. In terms of pubs there is a Wetherspoons opposite Angel station (a chain known for being cheap) and another nice pub/restaurant about 10 minutes from the office even offers discount to CRUK. The local area has many more pubs, restaurants and bars.

Interns do their own fundraising which is overseen by the internship coordinator but is ultimately up to us. There are constantly emails being sent around the office too requesting help with different events, such as fun runs or giving out goody bags in London.