London Marathon and Events Communications Intern Review

I really enjoyed the 12 weeks I spent at Cancer Research UK. The tasks I did were extremely varied, and there were so many different opportunities to get involved in. I developed a lot of new skills, and was given real responsibility. There was a fantastic intern atmosphere, and it was also great to know that you were working for a really important cause.

I definitely felt valued by my team, and by the organisation as a whole. I felt that the work I was doing was actually making a difference to the team, and that the work the interns were doing was appreciated.

CRUK made sure that we were supported throughout our internship. We had weekly 1-2-1 meetings with our managers to discuss progress, as well as mid-placement and end-of-placement reviews which were useful. There was also the opportunity to have a mentor for the duration of your internship - they could offer help, support and guidance on CVs, job application and personal development.

Throughout the placement, I was always busy. I had plenty of work to do and was never bored, which was good. At one point, I did feel like I had too much work, but a quick chat with my manager quickly resolved this.

I was really surprised at the amount of real responsibility we were given. We were never asked to make tea, or photocopy, and were instead allowed to work on real projects. I was allowed to make important decisions myself, and the interns in my team were entrusted to represent the company at lots of events, including a weekend event in Edinburgh .

The skills I learnt will not be particularly helpful for my degree, but will definitely be helpful for when I graduate next year. There was a lot of focus on developing skills, and we were encouraged to focus on things we wanted to improve whilst we were there. If there was a particular skill I wanted to develop, there was always the opportunity to do this, even if this meant joining a different team for a couple of days. There was also a CV and interview workshop as well as a presentation skills workshop which we were encouraged to attend.

The atmosphere in the office was really positive, and everyone was very friendly. The office was open plan, which meant that you could gain an insight into how other teams worked as well. There were not always enough desks though. There were lots of interns on my floor, so it was nice to be able to see so many friendly faces. There was also a real passion for the cause in the office which made it exciting, and there was a real enthusiasm to help beat cancer sooner - it definitely felt like we were working for a common cause.

The internship was incredibly well organised. Before we started, we had welcome emails and a two-day introduction to the charity to make sure we felt prepared, and during the placement, we were always kept up to date via email. The charity seemed very well practised in welcoming interns, and the whole placement ran very smoothly.

There was a lot of emphasis on personal development whilst we were at CRUK. When my placement started, I was asked what skills I wanted to develop during my internship, and my manager ensured that I had the opportunities to develop these throughout the 12 weeks. The chance to have a mentor, also showed that the charity invested in your personal development. We were encouraged to note down examples of where we had improved skills so that we could use them in future interviews. The charity put on CV/interview sessions, a presentation skills session, and an individual CV meeting, where we could chat through our CV with someone from HR.

Some of the interns went on to secure full time or temporary jobs at the placement, and it seems to be common for interns to go back to the charity later in their careers.

There was a great social scene amongst the interns. The 2 day introduction meant we were able to get to know each other really well, and we used to socialised at least once a week. We would often go for drinks after work and also organised karaoke nights, pub quizzes and even a roller-disco. There was always someone to eat lunch with.

CRUK is based in Angel in London so obviously it's not going to be cheap. We had a lunch allowance and our travel was paid for, which helped, and as interns we tried to socialised in cheaper areas, so money was not often an issue.

Angel was a great place to be based - it has lots of bars and restaurants, and although we didn't really try out the nightlife in Angel itself, I'm sure it is great. There were always things to do after work and it was also very easy to travel to somewhere else in London.

There were so many things to get involved with at CRUK - from BBQs on the roof to trips to the theatre. I helped out at lots of sporting events and exhibitions which were great experiences. There were also lots of volunteering and fundraising opportunities which were really rewarding.