Internship Review at Cancer Research UK

The Role

Role Description

- Calling all 900 Superdrug stores to motive them in their fundraising
- Income processing and form-chasing
- Writing letters of thanks and creating fundraising certificates

1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 3/10

2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

All staff were lovely but there was a bit of an intern/staff divide as there are several intern intakes each year so staff

3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Lots of 121s with my mentor but not necessarily high-quality guidance

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 1/10

This was the worst thing about the internship

6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I have learnt a lot but not necessarily what I would have expected to. I don't feel I have particularly developed the skills to work in Corporate Partnerships, but I have learnt what kind of jobs I don't want and learnt how to cope doing jobs I do not enjoy and how to work alongside people when I am unhappy and have learnt the realities of work. I know these don't sound like important skills but I genuinely believe it is important I have experienced them on an internship and not in my first job.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Hard-working yet relaxed and focused office

8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Very well

9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

There was CV and interview training

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 4/10

• Subsidised Canteen
• Travel loan

11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

Low salaries, mostly female and I would prefer to start in Corporate Sector

Other Information

12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Every other intern was lovely and we always had lunch together, everyone got on and we had a laugh and a few nights out. Have definitely made some friends for life!

13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 3/10

Expensive obviously - it's London

14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Great! 3minute walk from Covent Garden

15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Yes I volunteered at lots of events

In addition to these questions, is there any extra information you would like to leave about your experiences on your work placement that other students may be interested in?

I believe I have had an unfortunate experience at Cancer Research UK but that this is not reflective of the internship scheme in general. Most of the other interns were given really interesting projects with lots of responsibility and opportunity within them. Mine unfortunately was not. I feel my mentor just needed a volunteer and instead got an intern in. As I was unsatisfied with my work I was less able to enjoy the internship. Eventually I told my mentor how unhappy I was and she, to her credit, responded by giving me some other more interesting work to do but I still had to do the other boring work and I had to work extra hard to be able to fit in the more interesting work. I have still learnt a lot but hope that the staff I worked with will take more care when they decide to get another intern in and that they fully appreciate that the sacrifices made to do this internship ought to be properly rewarded with work that reflects the calibre of the intern. Ultimately I still believe the Cancer Research UK internship scheme to be a worthwhile one, having heard from my fellow interns, and that my experiences are anomolous.

Review 113/113 for Cancer Research UK

Previous