Market Research Project Manager Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my internship. I had completed a project management placement before, but I enjoyed getting more involved with the specific aspects of Market Research that I had not come across before. I had the chance to not only learn more about the translation industry but also about how the MR industry works and how companies research certain products and how they interpret the results.

The team was very friendly and my colleagues made me feel welcome. Throughout my internship I helped assist work on a variety of projects for different colleagues. Whenever I completed a project, everyone was always thankful and appreciated my help. They always said thank you for the time I had spent and were willing to answer any questions to help with the progress.

I felt extremely welcomed when I first started my internship. A mentor was allocated to me to help me with any questions I may have throughout my time. The group chat which included all working members was a good way to communicate throughout the day even without speaking to people directly. This was also welcome for any quick queries as they could be answered quickly by anyone.

Tasks varied from day to day so sometimes I felt extremely busy whereas other days I felt I had more time to spend on certain projects. This depended upon project deadlines as I would have to complete a task more quickly if the deadline was approaching. If I had my own projects to manage too, I would multitask these responsibilities as well but this was a good thing as I always felt I had something to do.

I was given the responsibility of QAing projects allocated to me by other project managers. I would use specialist software to quality check the files and was given the responsibility to solve problems independently when issues arose. I would do this by contacting the relevant translators and working together to solve a problem. I was also given the responsibility to manage my own projects which was enjoyable. I would deal with the client to assess their requirements and communicate with linguists to complete the translation.

I had already completed my Degree Studies prior to commencing the internship. However I still received valuable experience and an insight into the working environment that cannot be achieved through studying. This will help prepare me for future work as I was able to see first-hand how the business functioned from day to day.

The general atmosphere I found to be relaxed and friendly. I first found it to be quite quiet however I soon discovered that there were group and team chats which everyone was able to be involved with and discuss current work situations. These were also good for quick responses to questions in the office.

The initial starting date of the internship changed a few times but once I had started, the set up seemed to be organised. There were a couple of other interns starting on the same day as me so it made the introduction process a little easier, and certain thigs were explained to all of us together. We also had some training sessions together and this helped as we were able to ask similar questions as we were at a similar stage. There were also other interns who had started before us and we were provided with an intern booklet so the position was organised with dealing with interns.

On our first day we were provided with an introduction meeting and completed the necessary paperwork. I was assigned a desk and computer and introduced to the office so this was a good first introduction. Regarding personal training, there were a few short sessions for specific tasks that may have been challenging so this helped with being able to carry out a task more efficiently. I also had a mentor who was able to answer any questions I had as I went along so this helped immensely with ongoing training.

Regarding future prospects, while I have enjoyed my time at the company, I would be unable to consider something long term in-house. This is just due to the location. I was happy to accept the internship as I knew it was a good opportunity but I have an extremely long commute which would make a permanent position a little unrealistic.

There was a large group of interns also completing their internships at the same time and this created a social atmosphere as everyone was offering help to others regarding their own experiences at different stages of their internships. There was also a social committee who organised different social events every few months.

The cost of living was quite high for me but this more due to the expensive train tickets I was buying every day, even with a railcard. So in this case it was more the transport cost that was very high. With regards to socialising, this wasn’t too costly as there are cheaper options of socialising without having to spend a lot of money.

I did not socialise in the area of work in the evening so I am unsure about the nightlight. There were a few restaurants which I expect were popular. However, I did enjoy the nightlife in other areas of London, the underground system makes transport around London easy so I was able to explore other areas which were very lively and fun to experience.

There was a social committee that organised social activities outside of work. However the team was extremely sociable and on numerous occasions we would socialise outside of work and organise to explore new places around London. This would include eating in restaurants after work or meeting at the weekends for different sightseeing options.