New Business Acquisition Intern Review

This was a well-supported internship in an amazingly collaborative and welcoming working environment. Personal and professional development were well catered for and opportunities to get involved across different departments were easy to access. The work was challenging and varied with chances to work in different locations and with supporters.

I felt comfortable suggesting ideas to my managers and was treated respectfully and always listened to. My colleagues went out of their way to include me in social activities after work. The team was friendly and creative and this translated to working culture as well as the social aspect of the job.

My line manager was open, understanding, receptive and encouraging if I had any difficulties and allowed me flexibility when I needed it. If I had any difficulties in my home life I was allowed to work different hours and event to work remotely should I need that kind of support.

At the start of the internship there was a lot of learning to be done and I was concerned that the pace would not become quicker. Once the initial week or so was over the work flooded in and I had to be meticulous with time management in order to fit it all in.

One of the best things about this internship was that I was given free rein to work independently which made me feel valued and respected. Initially I was given objectives to complete by the end of the placement and these were checked up on in 121 sessions with my line manager every two weeks.

The skills I developed and the training I received will help me directly with my career by equipping me with the acumen and experience to apply for jobs in a similar field and to quickly adjust to a similar working environment. The knowledge gained about health awareness is also extremely valuable to me.

The general atmosphere in the office was one of collaboration and varied greatly due to the different events and fundraising that was always going on. It was definitely not confrontational or pushy in any way and interns were encouraged to approach anyone to ask for a chat over coffee if they needed career guidance or any kind of support.

The internship was over-all very well organised, except for a long recruitment process which meant we were given our contracts very close to our start dates. However, it was clear to see that they care greatly about the recruitment process and were constantly asking for feedback and discussion groups to see how they could improve it and make it more desirable for people from different backgrounds to apply - the reasoning behind it being a paid internship from this year onwards.

There was definitely a great deal of investment. The personal training and development ranged from health awareness 'lunch and learns' to skill and career progression training days to interacting with people around the office who would offer to look over your CV or meet and chat about a job opportunity.

With a high turn over as a general trend in the third sector there are good employment prospects with lots of jobs on offer. Due to the scale of the organisation, interns have a distinct advantage from familiarity with systems and software. There is also a wide variety of jobs on offer.

In the office there were lots of opportunities to hang out with other people who were also on the internship - every day for lunch for example. A few times the interns went out for drinks and to attend events together but this was not a weekly occurrence which would have been better.

I am not too sure of the cost of living and socialising the angel area as I lived in a different area of London. However there is a wide variety of shops and restaurants and cafes of differing price brackets so I am sure there is something for every one!

In the area where the office is based there is Kings Cross which is not a long walk away and offers a wide variety of things to do in the evenings. The office is about to move to Stratford so I am not well qualified to predict what the Nightlife will be like there.

There were a huge amount of volunteering opportunities advertised almost on a weekly basis and the type of events varied from high-end classical music concerts, to race 4 life and even private rock concerts. The interns also have their own fundraising committee which put on a pub quiz and bake sales which was a great way to meet the rest of the cohort.