Innovation Delivery Intern Review

I loved every thing about the 3 months internship. The fact that there were 30 other interns starting at the same time as me was great as we forms a really nice little group and I have made so many friends from it. The work I was given had really responsibilities and deadlines so it was a lot more exciting than the standard work you are given on an internship. I learnt a lot from it and all the other teams across Cancer Research UK were really helpful, giving my introductions into their team and explaining what their team does.

Although the work I was given as an 'intern' was intended to be 'value added' as opposed to a full time employee's work load, I felt the work I was given by my team was at a high level and they trusted me to get on with it. I definitely felt part of the team, in work and out. I socialised with them outside the office and definitely felt valued.

During the internship I had a Line Manager who was my first port of call in everyday life on the internship. My line manager sat close to me in the office and offered support and guidance when I required it. We also had weekly reviews so we could both give feedback on how it was going, making sure we felt comfortable giving and receiving both positive and development feedback. This was really useful and my manager supported me in the preparation for job interviews that I had during the internship which was a great help to have. I also had a mentor who I met with biweekly for a coffee to discuss how I was getting on, any non-related work issues I was facing and we set objectives for my time at Cancer Research UK. This was a great support to have as it was more of a friendly face around the office who I could talk to about anything. As well as this, we were given several training sessions throughout the internship, on CV writing and interview techniques that were really useful. We also had a 1-2-1 session with HR to look over and review our current CV. The volunteer internship coordinator was also really useful to guide us through the 12 weeks.

I worked on several large projects during my internship which were really exciting but also really busy. This was a great environment to learn how to work under pressure and meet deadlines. As well as this I had some weeks where I had enough time to have introductions into other teams, leaning about areas other than my internship.

most of the work I was doing was supporting the team and contributing to certain aspects of a campaign. However, I was responsible for a couple of projects where I was just given a brief and was trusted to be as creative as I wanted with it as long as I met the deadlines set and continuously updated the team about my progress so they could give me feedback or guidance.

It was a great insight into the charity sector and the Marketing aspect of a large organisation. The interview and CV training definitely helped with job applications and interviews. The responsibility I was given to manage projects have definitely given me something to talk about in interview and learn from in terms of managing time and meeting deadlines. It gave me that 'office experience' that all jobs require.

Everyone in the office were really upbeat, friendly and positive. They were all really keen to help and teach me about what their role was and what their team do, Cancer Research UK is quite a young, refreshing environment to be a part of.

I cannot fault any aspect about the internship. From the application to the support that is provided to all the interns, were all seamless.

Even though we were only there for 3 months we had access to all internal training and opportunities, which were great. I had inductions into several other teams to learn about what they do, I attended a number of Sales Toolkit training sessions and went to a number of team training away days, I also attended several days of intern training for CV writing and interview techniques,

We had access to internal jobs while at Cancer Research UK, which we were actively encouraged to apply for. I applied for a number of roles, including the Graduate Scheme, of which I was offered two. I am starting the Graduate Scheme in September.

I loved the out of office (and in office) socialising. I met with fellow interns most lunchtimes and often met for drinks after work one night a week. With my team, we celebrated each persons birthday, singing to them in the office, and if it was on a week day we often went for lunch as a team. As well as this I went to a number of team outings, including a 'Lunch and Learn' where the team has lunch with a member of another team so we can learn about what they do and integrate it into our everyday work decisions. I also went to an educational event at the Science Museum to learn more about a project we were working on. Everyone is lovely and super friendly.

As interns we were given an allowance for lunch everyday which was a massive help! Obviously in the centre of London it was pricey to venture out too much but the canteen was cheap and the food was actually really nice (Breakfast and Lunch) so I ate there for lunch a lot. There were supermarkets within walking distance in which I could get a cheap meal deal. As part of Cancer Research UK local restaurants often offered deals if we wore our lanyard which was a great perk.

Super good!! Lots of local bars and restaurants and the tube station is close to the office so easy to get home.

There were a number of social and sports clubs circulated throughout the office for employees to attend. For example Yoga on the top floor of the office or a 5-a-side football tournament. We were also encouraged to volunteer at Cancer Research UK's fundraising events - this was a great way to get involved in the charity and meet people.