Market Associate Intern Review

The right balance of responsibility, peer learning, meetings to track my progress and project work to set me in a good stance for applying for a full time position

I feel like I am a valuable part of the team and they appreciate the work that I do. I can see myself progressing to be one of the leaders that they are.

I think I got a good mixed amount of being independent as well as being able to ask my manager/mentor/peers/other teams for support and advice wherever necessary. Always learning more in the job as is everyone else!

Definitely the perfect balance of having things to do, feeling the right amount of competitiveness to achieve my personal goals as well as the goals for the company.

Acting like a regular member of the team as opposed to just an intern gives me enormous insight into their daily lives, what I need to do to prove I'm capable of being a full time employee after my internship/

I have actually completed University already, but my role in Expedia has helped me build upon my current revenue management skills learnt from my studies, and the other skills I have learnt in my job can be applied to a range of different job types and industries.

The general atmosphere in my office is very welcoming and engaging. I am inspired by the people that I work with, everyone is driven, focused and knowledgeable as well as being helpful, supportive and team players. I feel content in my team as everyone is from different cultural, socio-economic backgrounds making up a very diverse and interesting team of people. I feel that everyone brings something different to the team and it works well.

Expedia as an entire organisation is very organised in regards to its staff, the nonbinding process welcomes everyone with a booklet, information pages, informative videos and articles to train me thoroughly on the job that I'll be doing. I wouldn't say the internship is set up particularly differently to an ordinary position except that I am allowed time to work on a project of my choice. But this is okay because I still get regular 1:1s with my manager to track my progress as does everyone in the team.

As mentioned in my previous answer, the company supports me mainly by allowing me to complete a project of my choice for up to 50% of my time. This should be something I'm interested in, that would benefit me as well as benefiting the company. Expedia encourages me to spend time each week on something I'd like to learn more about within the company. I also love that when someone in my team finds out about something that is new to them, they share this knowledge with the team to aid all of our learning.

Although the internship will not lead directly into a position, I get a lot of support from my manager to make me as successful as possible for any openings that we see. She offers me support and feedback on how I can be best in the application process. The job role I am currently in is very similar to the full time position, so I feel it won't be too difficult to get a full time contract afterwards. As it is a global company, I'm pleased that I have the opportunity to apply for positions similar to the one I am doing now anywhere in the world.

I think there is a good social scene at work. I have just got back from a conference in Spain for 3 days in which nearly 1000 Expedia employees across EMEA were invited to (for free!) This was a great chance to meet the other interns who were lucky enough to attend. Within my day-to-day role I feel that there is a big drinking culture in Dublin therefore it is quite convenient to go for drinks after work in the team.

The cost of living in Dublin is quite high. Although the internship here pays me enough to live (they get far less in London, Manchester and Edinburgh), it is still somewhat of a struggle, but as you would expect in an intern position. The hardest part of living here has been finding accommodation - there is a housing crisis in Dublin. I am currently paying rent in cash which is fine short-term but lacking in security which can be unnerving. This is beyond my internship's control though.

The nightlife in Dublin is very good. I love that the city is very small - around half a million people live in the capital. It is convenient to get around. It is also very easy to walk around the city centre in a short amount of time which is fab for a night out. The drinks prices can be quite expensive but nothing you would not expect in a capital city of Western Europe. Overall I am satisfied with the nightlife here.

As it is only a small team here in Dublin, I do think that it is no wonder there is a lack of activities outside of work. We go for drinks sometimes, and the occasional leaving dinner or party to celebrate something is definitely sufficient in a 20 person team. There are plenty of activities including water sports that I can get involved with outside of work. I do not think my team should have to run any additional activities.