Retail Marketing Intern Review

My year long internship was far beyond what I could have expected. I loved the company, the culture, the people - even the other interns that worked in different sectors of the department, we were able to work on projects together and that was always fun. The events were always amazing to partake in and support whether it was for Star Wars Battlefront or EA SPORTS FIFA, it was great to see all types of fans come together. Working in Retail Marketing the most rewarding thing was seeing the work you've helped create - live on Amazon or in an Argos catalogue or in a GAME store and you know you've had some input into it!

My opinions and input was always appreciated and welcomed in any given situation. My immediate team was very small, so having that proactive nature and providing support where needed, was very much acknowledged and my position required me to work with a multitude of stakeholders (internally, externally and internationally) Being helpful and taking a hands-on approach to work really did benefit me in the long haul and it was recognised many times throughout the year and near the end of my internship when I was awarded the 'Learn and Grow' award by the Country Manager for my hard work and effort in supporting all the titles executions at launch and beyond - the first intern to win an award!

I luckily had two managers as my team was very small. Both managers were amazing. So supportive and helpful throughout my year. Whether it was administrative tasks or those that required a lot more research, both of my managers guided me through the steps and soon after gave me more and more projects to be responsible for which was a great learning curve for me.

My day-to-day would vary simply because game releases had their waves. You have busy moments with announces, pre-orders and launch but when one title finishes another begins so they all do have their moments. Of all the interns I was the busiest but beneficially I had the most well rounded experience working with so many departments (finance, legal, creative) and external companies and even those abroad working in Redwood Shores, Geneva and other European territories. Work can get very busy but it is very much work hard, play hard - and it's a games company, there's always time to play!

I was given a lot of responsibility in my role - I worked with every retailer and every game franchise - nobody else in our department did that! It was challenging but a great challenge to face and project managing so many things gave me great insight into the machine that makes EA games so great at retail. I maintained a six figure budget that I had to keep on top of and was able to assist in supporting and coordinating events too. In my role I become so accustomed to it, it really felt like a full-time 9-5 job!

There were many many skills and tools I learn't and developed whilst at EA that helped me in my final year of university and now in my role as a Retail Marketing Executive. Such as; multitasking - a huge skill that I've learn't to master with so many things you have to juggle and be prepared for. Attentiveness - many things you learn to anticipate and as I was (in many cases) the first to start off a chain of events, I learn't quickly to be one step ahead to make work easier not only for myself but other colleagues. Time management - is a huge one, I knew how busy work could be having some prior experience but when you're working on world renowned games like EA SPORTS FIFA, you soon learn the difference in managing and maintaining your work load. Teamwork - nothing is ever a solo job, you can work on individual pieces but the collective work that impacts the final result comes from all of those involved and it's all about supporting one another and encouraging or lending a helping hand where needs be

The office atmosphere was very relaxed. With an open plan floor everyone communicated with each other freely - no matter the sector of the marketing team. There were always events to attend or get involved with and everyone was friendly!

My internship was very organised, I had a clear vision of exactly how my work contributed to final execution in retail and my managers prepared targets for me before I started and I successfully achieved them all. As mentioned prior I was able to work with different departments so I was able to gain a better view or different areas of the business and just how we all impact each other.

Any extra training I required I was able to ask for and was given the opportunity to work on. If anything wasn't available, so many colleagues have extensive knowledge in different things I was able to ask for example; Microsoft Excel - where it was beyond the bare minimum but using it for complex budget tracking Photoshop - understanding key design elements that came into impact within my role slightly

EA have quite a flat structure, so it is difficult for new staff to join if they don't have a good amount of experience or knowledge in the required area of expertise. However saying that as an intern if you do show and prove there is potential for you to join, as I have now done so as well as two prior interns. Opportunities will always be there, and if not in the UK office, potentially abroad - EA are global!

I absolutely loved working with the other interns during my internship! There were four of us in the marketing department and many times we were able to work with each other on different projects or help each other out if there was a job too big - it was really good. EA hire quite a few interns in all different departments - and every so often you get to have lunch together and catch-up on what everyone is doing.

I was able to live at home in London and commute in. The train ticket monthly of course was expensive but other than that I had no other financial burdens so it was fine for me. But generally I know some other interns lived in Guildford - it is a very expensive area to live in - similar to London where there's loads of things to do but slightly expensive

Only on the odd occasion did I go out at night and it was nice. Surrey University is near so I know the social scene is quite good - just not for me.

Yes - EA support a lot of charities and many staff members get involved in helping raise money for them whether it be a 10k run or something similar There is also a football team where there is 5-a-side every Thursday