Corporate Partnerships Intern Review

My internship at Cancer Research UK has been fantastic. My intern role was split between two departments, which meant that I had two intern managers and gained experience working as part of two different teams. The scheme itself is really well structured and supported, and the working environment at CRUK is welcoming, open, and friendly. Everyone I worked with was more than happy to chat, answer any questions, or offer advice, and the passion that all staff have for the work they do is really palpable. I'd recommend the internship scheme to anyone considering a career in the charity sector.

My intern managers ensured that I was made to feel valuable as part of the teams I was working in. I felt supported and valued by my colleagues throughout the internship, and felt that the projects I worked on were making an important contribution to the charity. I actively participated in team meetings and was given additional responsibilities as my internship progressed.

Support and guidance throughout the internship were excellent. I had weekly one-to-one meetings with my managers to discuss what I was working on, my progress, my personal development, and actions for the upcoming week. I also met fortnightly with my mentor from another team who offered career advice and an alternative perspective on the organisation's work. Intern support was very well-structured by HR and the internship coordinator, with regular career advice sessions and more formal 2, 6, and 12-week placement reviews with my manager. My manager also went out of her way to help with job applications and interview preparation.

Some variation - most of the time I had enough to be working on without becoming too busy. The projects I supported with were quite spaced out so I didn't really have to worry about deadlines. There were a couple of instances were I was asked to help out with other projects with a tighter turnaround, but the workload never became difficult to manage.

I felt that I was given a fair amount of responsibility. Some of the projects I worked on were for senior-level internal and external stakeholders, and I felt very trusted by my managers to use my initiative and make decisions myself.

I hope that this experience of working in the charity sector will stand me in good stead for my future career. The knowledge and skills I've gained have exceeded my expectations, and working across two teams has been particularly valuable for my personal development.

Very friendly, welcoming, open, and supportive. The working atmosphere in different teams can vary, but in general all staff are passionate, focussed, and keen to share in each others achievements. There is a lot of fundraising taking place continually in the office which really adds to the atmosphere. CRUK is a very positive place to work, and being there during Stand Up To Cancer week was particularly so - there was a real sense of excitement, enthusiasm, and drive from all members of staff and lots of fundraising initiatives taking place.

Very well organised by the internship coordinator. I found the scheme really well structured and I had a clear idea of where I should be in terms of my projects and my personal development at all times. The induction day was prior to starting was also really useful in giving an introduction to the organisation. My intern manager had also scheduled catch-ups with the other team members for me in my first week, which really helped me to understand how the team worked and the kind of projects they were working on.

Career development sessions on CVs, cover letters, interviews etc were quite useful. There were also plenty of online learning courses to take, some of which were interesting. Although there were some external training courses available (eg introduction to CRUK's research) I wasn't able to take advantage of these during the internship - but this was just a question of timings.

Very appealing. The internship has given me a fantastic insight into CRUK and I feel that I'm now in a strong position to apply for roles internally.

Yes - great group of interns.

Some local businesses in Islington offered discounts for CRUK staff.

Good - lots of bars and restaurants nearby.

Lots of fundraising opportunities outside of the office, as well as Christmas parties.