Science Communication Intern Review

I've really enjoyed my internship here. I'm so glad I got the chance to be a part of CRUK. Their internship programme is so well organised and they really want to see us develop. I've developed so many skills that will help me in my career, I've become more confident and I've made some great friends. I also loved fundraising while I was here, it was great fun and the day we did the sponsored DNA trail trail was awesome. You really can get so much out of this internship!

During my internship I definitely felt valued, especially as the team knew about the projects I was working on and were happy to get involved with various aspects of them. I could really see the benefit of my projects and I was glad that my time here was being put to good use to really help make a difference. One of my projects was even mentioned by the director of volunteering at our leaving ceremony which really did make me and my time feel valued.

My managers were great! I was asked what I'd like to get out of the internship and if there were any skills I wanted to develop. They then made sure I developed these skills during my time there. I knew I could always go to them with any questions I had or if I needed any help. I had 1:1 sessions with my managers every week where they gave me feedback on my work which was very very helpful, I've really been able to see my skills develop.

I was never bored at CRUK but I was also never over-worked or stressed, the balance was perfect! I was working on two projects so I always had something to do and the work was varied. Some days time flew by and it was 5 o clock before I even knew it! I really loved always having work to do rather than being bored and twiddling my thumbs! At the same time, if you wanted to meet up with a fellow intern for a coffee break there was always time, it was never stressful.

I feel I was given quite a lot of responsibility as they were essentially my projects. I had full creative control, I wrote all of the content and it was my responsibility to source all of the content and ensure everything was finished in time. Even though I was leading the projects, I had amazing support from my managers who gave me feedback on all aspects to ensure everyone was happy with the finished projects.

I think the skills I have developed will help me enormously. I know I want to work in a similar job role and so seeing my writing develop has given me the confidence that I can do it. I've also developed lots of transferable skills such as presentation skills, information gathering, problem solving and learning to trust my own ideas and to take my own initiative. I've become very self aware and self analytical and I think all of these skills will help me in the future.

I felt there was never really much happening in the office, everyone just knuckled down and did their work and there wasn't much chatter which could be a bit boring sometimes. I think it would be a good idea to have a weekly team lunch to make sure interns feel included within their teams.

The internship was really well organised, unfortunately I had to start late as I already had a holiday booked but this wan't a problem and I still received all of the information the other interns were given on their induction day.

I felt that CRUK really wanted to help their interns develop and learn. We could set up inductions with any departments we were interested in to learn more about the company and the roles of the other departments. We had a CV, cover letter and interview skills workshop which was actually really helpful, especially some interview role play! There was also the opportunity to attend a 1:1 CV session where our CVs could be looked and to help us improve them. I was also asked by my managers what skills I'd like to improve and they then worked with me to ensure these were worked on and that I got what I wanted out of the internship.

For me, there are no job roles currently available here that I'm interested in, but I have heard many success stories. Another intern I know has secured a job here and many other people I've talked to at CRUK started as interns!

The social scene amongst the interns was great. We often ,met for lunch, coffee and after work drinks. Because the interns also planned fundraising events we also attended pub quizzes and pizza and bingo nights that other interns had organised which was all great fun.

Expensive! But it is London! I did spend more than I expected and wanted to while living in London so I'm very thankful for my overdraft!

There were always fundraising events we could attend and volunteering opportunities at events.