Corporate Partnerships Development Intern Review

I really enjoyed the internship. CRUK is incredibly welcoming environment, especially to new starters. The work level set to me was sometimes challenging but also, I think, an appropriate level. The best thing about Cancer Research is their passion for the cause. They are very good at inspiring their staff to feel passionate about the cause too, with lots of opportunities to make you feel like you are part of a wider movement. I have to admit, I didn't know a lot about Cancer/CRUK before I started my internship but now I feel really on board with ending Cancer!

Despite not interacting with much of my team on a regular basis (as they worked from home), I still felt like part of the team and my colleagues were very considerate and welcoming when we did meet. I always felt as though I could express my opinion to not only the intern manager but also to the more senior managers of the team. I felt as though they took on any suggestions and ideas on board.

I had weekly meetings with my manager and regular briefings with members of my team who set me work. I always had the opportunity to ask questions between meetings and my supervisors were quick to answer and were very supportive. Meetings with my manager not only focused on my work-load but also on my personal development, which was great. It was fantastic to be part of an organisation which placed a high value on my personal development. I felt like my manager and the volunteer coordinator really wanted the interns to learn new skills. They encouraged me to get involved in the wider organisation and go to personal development workshops. CRUK also run an intern mentoring scheme which is great, if you want to meet people from other departments and concentrate on your personal development.

To be honest at times I felt like I had very little to do. However, the majority of the time I did feel like I had tasks to be getting on with though it never exceeded what was manageable. I never had to work overtime or skip lunch breaks for my work. Generally, when I asked for more work I was given it fairly promptly and my manager worked hard to ensure that all the tasks I was set were varied enough to be interesting.

As the internship was unpaid, I wasn't given huge amounts of responsibility that would have dramatically affected my team if I hadn't completed my work. However, I was set tasks which I felt would contributed to the team and the wider organisation and was set deadlines, which I needed to meet. What was nice was that the volunteer team encouraged interns to run their own fundraising events. From this point of view we were given more responsibility, we were put in charge in running and advertising our events.

I've learnt a lot about time management and working in an office. I had to manage my own time and diary, which was invaluable. I also learnt a lot about working within a business team and how to follow instructions from managers and how to appropriately behave in an office environment. Furthermore, there are lots of training and development opportunities, from workshops on presentations and project management to CV writing seminars, I feel like employee development is something that CRUK takes very seriously.

CRUK is very friendly. Up to the point of writing, I haven't actually met a mean/nasty person! Everyone is so welcoming and ready to help out. My team always had work drinks and things to do outside of work as did the wider intern intake. I would say that people at CRUK are here to get work done but also are willing to have fun as well. It's definitely a very social place. There are lots of clubs and teams which staff members can join and staff are actively encouraged to go volunteer at CRUK events. For instance, I volunteered at Wireless Festival and got to see Avicii!

Very well organised. They run the internship 3 times a year so I would expect nothing less though! We were kept in regular contact from the intern coordinator who advised us on what we should be doing at various stages of the internship. Intern managers always seemed to know what they were doing as well, which is always a plus. I had offers from other internships but I decided to choose this one because CRUK seemed better organised and I felt as though I could get more out of it.

Interns can go to all the personal development sessions that paid staff members can, which is brilliant as there is so much to do! I attended a presentation class and hopefully a project management workshop too. CRUK also put on specific sessions for interns. For instance, I attended a CV and interview skills workshop which was extremely informative and will be useful in the future.

Very- I applied for the internship because I wanted experience in the sector not necessarily because I wanted to work for the organisation. Now having worked here I would be very happy to return to work back at this organisation as it has so many opportunities for growth and personal development as well opportunities to progress quickly.

Yes- there were lots of intern events and intern organised drinks. It's dependent on intake though I think. It's largely left up to the interns to organise.

I lived at home but London is very expensive to socialise in (compared to my University town in the North-East). However, it does have so many amazing things to do!

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Yes there are lots of sports teams and clubs which interns can get involved with. I heard that they do yoga on the roof terrace! However, perhaps the best opportunity is the fact that I could volunteer at lots of really cool and interesting events! I volunteered at Wireless, doing ticket collection, and I'm going to volunteer at the Boodles Boxing Ball. I also volunteered at an absail of the London Orbital. You need to be proactive to make the most of the opportunities but there is a lot available!