Corporate Projects Intern Review

I was given meaningful work which was actually helping this brilliant cause (work that could still be used in 5-10 years’ time) – as you have motivation to work the days go super quick. I was given brilliant experience which allowed me to develop myself incredible amounts – the charity focused on making sure I got the most out of the experience not just the other way round. Everyone who works there was super nice and helpful. It was very easy to settle in and I enjoyed everyone’s company. Also because there was a large group of interns meant that you could settle in easy! There is a massive intern table at lunch and every Friday after work there will be some people who want to hang out.

There are two main areas I felt valued for. Firstly I felt valued as a team member I felt like a valued member of the team from day one when I was taken for a meal after my first day at work at a place called Pong. Here there was also table tennis which everyone who wanted to get involved and it was an instant ice breaker. I felt so much more at ease the next day knowing that I could beat everyone a table tennis! ;) Half way through the internship team bowling continued these fun events. This team spirit continued throughout the internship and the whole team were friends. Every day I was asked how my driving was coming along, my revision for my exams or even my Camp America application. This was very nice and they always had time for you. Everyone is so nice and seems to remember little comments you have made about exams, driving tests, future travelling etc. and always seem interested in me. When I finished my internship they made a big deal out of it and I was treated to a meal by my boss and also another meal by my team. Team drinks on the last day although sad was a good send off! Secondly I was valued highly for my work and effort. Every time I completed a work you could see that the team appreciated it and they could readily show you how this will help the charity. I felt valued especially by my boss who ensured my progression, but all my team members volunteered to help me with certain aspects of my work. I wasn’t just given the boring easy work or was never asked to make tea for anyone! The work I was doing was valued not only because of the effort and quality, but a lot of the time it brought forward the day loads of processes could be complete. My opinion felt valued from day one and I had no problem disagreeing with someone how they tackled a problem. They would handle it maturely and make sure that my opinion was valued the same as theirs, no matter how much older or experienced they were. Now that the internship is over I still do keep in touch with my team and they email me frequently! I look forward to going back to London and seeing them soon  

I was told from day one that this internship was an opportunity for me to develop the skills that I desired. I made a Personal Development Plan with my boss and every week ensured the tasks I was completing were meaningful and would help me in future careers. Relaxed weekly one-to-ones at the start of the week ensured I had all the support and guidance needed. When working with other team member they would support me as much as they could. As time progressed we still continued the weekly one-to-ones, however it would be up to me to approach my boss if I needed help. Therefore the support and guidance was always there, just towards the end I was given the independence to approach a problem how I wanted to. The support and guidance was quality information that has helped me with my work and aspects such as prioritisation.

I had the perfect balance! The work load started off slowly the first week and allowed me to create a development plan. For the next few weeks it gradually got more intense, however good communication from my manager always ensured the work was manageable! I had one A-Level exam in late January during my placement. During this time my manager ensured that the work load was not too stressful, making my life as easy as possible! He gave me two Friday's off before the exam and ensured I caught the earlier train the week of my exam. My boss encouraged me to take time off work to do some fundraising for the charity. This included fun things such as cake sales and a pub quiz which made over £700 The team in general didn’t take the piss! And take advantage of my labour. The whole charity works so hard and you have to drag some people away from their desks to get them to stop working! As everyone works so hard and due to the cause I found it easy to work hard.

I chose this internship because it said that the intern would assist a project management team with a lot of different projects however you could take on an individual project. I liked the fact it didn’t require huge responsibility like some of the other internships and this benefited me as I don’t think I would have been the best for a role that required 100% intense responsibility as I didn’t feel ready when comparing myself to the graduates (as I have not attended uni yet.) This role was flexible and allowed me to increase responsibility slowly. I communicated this with my boss which allowed me to start off doing easy tasks or tasks as a team. Then towards the end of my internship I was more independent making my own decisions, chasing people up and leading a small presentation. This responsibility was tailored to my needs and was perfect for me. I believe I could have asked for more responsibility, however I would not suggest this particular internship if you wanted to be responsible for a huge individual project (there are many other internships that require this responsibility!) At first my boss was checking up on me frequently, then later I was left to my own devices, however my boss was always there to help, and will arrange time in their busy schedule for help. For day to day tasks you are given full responsibility or as much as you want. Whether that is prioritising your 20 on-going tasks, designing a 1 pager for an internal site, completing feedback analysis or setting up meetings. However remember at all times there was at least 4 people around me who could help me with any situation!!

As I will be attending university for the first time in September I know this experience will be invaluable! The day to day job helped me improve so many skills! My Personal Development Plan was a massive help! At the start of my internship I created this plan with the help of my boss and this consisted of Objectives, Actions, Measurement and Progress. This allowed me to choose what I wanted to develop, find a way of developing and measuring these skills before logging the progress. In only 3 months I have soooooo much information and examples from key areas such as teamwork, prioritisation and communication. Having this noted is perfect for when you have your next interview as you can easily remember and think of examples for interview questions in these particular areas. A weekly skill of the week helped me structure my interview technique in the STAR format. Throughout the internship I had training which included SharePoint, Excel and also CV and interview training. Halfway through your internship you will have this day focussing on your CV and interview skills and this will allow you to ask all your stupid questions and get good tips from Hannah the intern manager or from the other interns. Someone who looks at CV’s everyday will look at your CV and give you feedback. It is frustrating because it will leave you thinking “why didn’t I think of that before?!” however it is really useful. The woman who looked at mine gave me her email address and told me she could look at it again whether or not I’m still an intern here. In my last week of my internship my boss and another person who also interviewed me during my only interview went through my application and updated CV. They gave me advice on what I have done well and what I can do to improve in applications in the future which was great. There are so many areas that I have improved in. Whether it is confidence or communication skills. A major impact this internship has had on me is self-awareness and how you can ensure you make the best use of your strengths and also improve your weaknesses. This individual internship was heavily involved with Project Management which meant it gave me a great insight into what this job entails and skills that can help me with my every day projects and revision at university. Not only all of this, but for the people like me who have only had physical labour jobs in the past, this will give you an insight into office and London work. Personally this has motivated me so much before I go uni, as I know the harder I work there the more chance I can guarantee something similar in the future.

I loved the atmosphere in the office! I always hear horror stories about people on internships where they feel that someones always looking over the shoulder and that they all just avoid each other. From my experience this is completely the opposite! You are allowed to get on with your work, and becuase the emloyees work harder and longer than what is expected of them they do have time to talk at times. If it's not even talking, the people there just seem happy and are not sitting their with a dull expression on their face. When I was given a big piece of work I was allowed to listen to the radio and for me this makes me work 10x better! and allowed me to focus on the piece of work. Everyone around me seemed to be more like friends then just collegues, people were often bringing cakes in they had baked or organising things. As everyone wants to be there, and they know the tradegy that is cancer they are all making the most of the experience and seem to not let the huge workloads way them down. A lot of the interns had other interns around them. Where I was working I didn't have another intern around however this was never a problem.

The internship seemed to be set up well so that is why I decided to apply for it. I have not yet attended university however that was not held against me by CR-UK. The application and interview were straight forward, with a number to call if you have any queries. The 2 inductions days did seem to drag on a little bit, however it did ensure you got to meet all of the 40 odd interns. The internship had a core structure with weekly one-to-one's, halfway and end reviews. CV and interview training and regular fundraising/ CR-UK opportunities were emailed to us often. I do think after this the internship set up did depend on your manager. My manager was awesome and really cared about my growth therefore had no problems at all. The expenses were a bit of a pain, £4 a day on food and £55 a week on travel. I live quite far away so actually lost a little bit of money on this internship. However I believe it was worth as I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for it! Also I believe the skills and experience will stay with you, whilst the money would be gone in a few months!

As I had mentioned earlier I have recieved a lot of additional training in Excel and SharePoint. I had CV and Interview training. I had my application reviewed and my updated CV reviewed. Every piece of work I completed was linked to a goal I had set e.g. wanting to do a presentation infront of people. Ofcourse loads of money was not spent on us, but you have to be realistic. You get out of it as much as you put in.

There is a chance I would like to work there once I finish university! This is because the chairty does really care about it's employees and due to the cause. However it does seem that a lot of people are interested, so there may be some competition. If you can get an internship atleast yiu have your foot in the door and some useful contacts.

There was a really good social scene! Firstly between collegues we had team drinks, meals, bowling and table tennis! Secondly the iterns socialising was great! As there was 40 odd interns there was always people willing to do stuff. Most Friday's there was something happening, and often people went out in London to watch the football or do stuff. I was a bit gutted that I lived ages away but I still found it easy to go out during the internship. There was a "re-union" last week which unfortunately I couldn't make.

Well it's London so it will be expensive. There is a place called the arc which is a 3 minute walk from the Angel building that is not expensive. It all depends on your taste really, there are so many places to chose from where the price ranges a lot.

There always seems to be people out and about everyday of the week in London so i'm sure you can have a good night out whenever. I normally had to leave before the big clubs to catch the last train.

There were quite a few fundraising opportunities that I already mentioned. Also opportunities to join in with the Tesco superhero thingy that looke fun! There was a girls basketball team and tournamanets. There was opportunities to go to marathons as a cheerer. I even heard there were after work fitness or yogo lessons :S