This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
-
The Company
-
The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
I really did enjoy my time with CCS. The staff are all lovely and welcomed the two interns into the team as equal members. With the flexible balance of in and out of office hours, judging Fringe shows, visiting event venues, attending Green Tease's and out-with hours staff events, my time at CCS was filled with wonderfully diverse tasks for a glorious group of individuals!
The staff at CCS, from the beginning of the internship, made it very clear that they aimed to treat the interns the same as they would staff. I can confirm having worked with the permanent staff for the full three months, after the initial introductory weeks and once I had my bearings, I felt like all of the team treated me as an equal. Similarly, the work I completed and the contributions I made in meetings were all taken as seriously as the contributions of any other member of staff.
Creative Carbon Scotland is the kind of work environment where hands on practical 'getting to know the company' is the best form of introduction. In the first week this did through me somewhat, however having reflected on this at the end of the internship I realised it is the best way to get your head round what the team at CCS do. In terms of support, we had weekly staff meetings where any questions could be raised, and similarly, I met with my 'supervisor' at points throughout the internship to catch her up on what I was doing. Throughout the internship I always felt that I could ask questions when I needed assistance or was unsure as to what to do.
This question I would say applies to a 9 till 5 job, however it was made clear from the beginning that my my role would come into its own during the second half of the intership (during the Edinburgh festival when my events ran). Such advice was very apt, as when August came and the festival season hit, my work hours became more demanding and required careful time management. Though I gave this section 6 stars it is not to say that CCS tasked me with too much or too little work to undertake, rather, I have put 6 stars to emphasise the flexibility of hours that came with my internship. Comparing my first few weeks to my last would be a good example of the up'd anti of work. However, by this point I felt very confident in my role with CCS so such an up'd anti was perfectly fine with me!
I think this relates to the above question about how much I felt my colleagues valued me at CCS. I think the initial responsibilities the team gave me (within the first few weeks I was already working independently on individual tasks) fed into this sense of 'value' which then empowered me to, I believe, complete my job to my utmost ability. For my independent tasks, such as the FSPA award piece, or the FSPA award ceremony, I was trusted with very free reins to do what I thought was best. I would discuss with my supervisor over ideas and would feedback at staff meetings, but overall, I felt very responsible for my own tasks.
The world CCS work in was all very new to me, having come from a science background and having only every organised events ran by either myself or a university society, I had never been in a paid role like I was with CCS. Consequently, I feel the skill that I learn't will stick with me for a long time. I would also like to emphasise that I wouldn't just count my internship at CCS as an opportunity to learn practical skills, in addition to these I feel I have been exposed to the inner workings of both a charity and a business. Since CCS is miraculously only run by a few members of staff (I say miraculously because they manage to get so much done) you get to see the ins and outs of all happenings!
The Company
All the team members were lovely and very welcoming! Though the CCS desks are situated within the larger council building which is not so conducive to their fun team spirit. Saying that, they were all a great bunch!
I think the internship was organised very well. We were given a very detailed induction and allowed plenty of time to familiarise ourselves with CCS. The one point I would add was that the first month or so could have maybe included another task or job. Now looking back at the internship I realise how much I managed to get done in the last month or so and I am sure if such was demanded of me earlier on in the intership I would have stepped up to the challenge. Though at the beginning I think I was thankful for not having so many tasks, just to build my confidence, however if I had been presented with them I think I could have coped. Bare in mind at no point was I every bored in the office, or felt like I was not contributing, rather I think I just spent longer doing tasks that towards my internship I managed to do in a much shorter timeframe. Consequently I suppose I would advice that if more work is presented to an intern earlier on it should be made to balance with their learning and time available.
My boss did lend me books relevant to the masters I was undertaking after my internship with the company, similarly he provided advice on dissertations and put the offer out there of undertaking a dissertation in conjunction with CCS. All of which I know is not direct 'training' yet, I would say is definitely a form of invested development.
Flexi Time
Company Parties/Events
Working from home
CCS is a small company, though I believe they will expand in the future, as their work is very relevant as is becoming ever more important. Also, I had already signed up to do a masters after my internship with them.
The Culture
Myself and the other intern from CCS, and the other intern from the partner Canadian organisation, all got on very well. Due to the nature of the work we also did do activities out-with the office. Similarly, there were a few events organised by permeant staff members when I was working for CCS, such as dinners and drinks.
I lived at home, with my family during the internship so my living costs were minimal. Similarly at work we could bring in packed lunches. We did do staff lunches somedays, though these were reasonably priced considering the central location of the office, and the food good quality.
I worked in the city centre of Edinburgh during the Fringe festival season, as a consequence the night life, and day life of the festival, was a lot of fun!
Staff emails were sent around of any relevant events, shows, performances, opening nights, conferences etc. So I was kept up to date and offered out-with work actives very regularly.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
Television/Film/Media, Environmental Science, Information Technology, Marketing
Scotland
November 2015