Fundraising Project Managment and Communications Intern Review

I really enjoyed my internship at Cancer Research UK. I feel confident that my experience at Cancer Research UK will put in me in a much better place for future positions in fundraising. Overall, the people at Cancer Research UK are supportive, like-minded, creative and inspiring. The internship exceeded my expectations and I would recommend it to anyone looking to gain experience in the charity sector. It's a great organisation.

I felt value by my colleagues, however there were times where I definitely felt like a temporary intern and not part of the actual team. This was probably my only complaint while interning at Cancer Research UK. I think in general, my department and team could have done a better job makign the interns feel appreciated and to honest, less like 'interns.'

My mentor was extremely helpful in the beginning of my placement, however as time passed I felt that there was less time for our catch-ups. This was mostly due to how busy he/she was, which I understood. I was able to become close with other members of my department who gave me insight into their experiences and gave me tips on how to get the most out of my internship.

This fluctutated a lot. Some days I would be really busy all day, and other days I would be searching for more to do. I found that there was always something I could be doing, whether it was working on a long-term project or asking others if they needed any help. Being pro-active was what kept me busy on a daily basis.

I worked on a variety of projects, some with a high level of responsibility and others with very little. I liked the balance because I would feel quite stressed when I was given a lot of responsibilty (although I really enjoyed it) so it was nice to have smaller projects to work on that were less stressful.

I feel that I will leave Cancer Research UK with many tangible skills that I can take with me to future roles. I feel much better prepared to apply to similar positions in the charity sector. Not only will I leave with tangible skills, I have also learned valuable lessons like managing others, time management, taking intiative and collaborating with colleagues. Overall, this internship was completely worthwhile for me.

I think it varies across departments, but in my department it was fairly quiet and serious. Other departments seemed to be a bit more social, however I liked having a quiet place to work.

I thought the internship was very well organised. The induction was very useful in preparing us for working at Cancer Research UK and the way that feedback session were set up was very helpful as well. What I liked most about the way the internship was set up was that there was always time for feeback, which says a lot about how Cancer Research UK is looking to make the scheme even better.

I'd say that this really comes down to your mentor. Having a mentor that finds interesting jobs for you and takes the time to have catch-ups and discuss how you're doing is extremely important. In a more general way, I think that Cancer Research UK did an okay job suppoting my personal training and development. We did have a CV and interview skills day, which was helpful but I think there could be more of an effort to provide more services for the interns, for instance more networking events.

I think a few interns from my intake did end up getting jobs at Cancer Research UK. I think it all depends on timing and if there are positions open at the end of the intake. I do know that many of the staff in my department started off as interns, so I would say they do tend to take on interns as full time staff.

It was fairly good. We had lunches, pub quizzes and a few nights out. It probably could have been a little better. It's up to the interns to organise the events so I think it varies each intake.

It was pretty expensive, but there were some good lunch deals around where I worked. In general, definitely be prepared to spend quite a bit of money while you're here.

Very good, lots of pubs and restaurants. A great area in London!

There were many opportunities to volunteer at Cancer Research UK events. I volunteered at two, and found them to be a great experience and something for the CV!