Legacy Events and Communications Intern Review

I interned with the Legacy Events and Communications team (one of many internships on offer) which has been so much fun. The atmosphere in my team was always good and I thoroughly enjoyed helping them with the responses for the Evenings of Christmas Music (2 carol concerts). In general the opportunities Cancer Research UK gave on this internship were fantastic. One example includes volunteering to help at events with other teams within the charity. From this you really get an idea about the set up of the charity and the amazing work they do. Everyone in the office is lovely, and I only wish this was a full time position.

I always felt I was needed within the team, I felt like I had a project of my own to do and was never left with nothing to get on with. My colleagues valued my opinion and were very receptive to any feedback I suggested throughout my project and the internship scheme.

I was always given support and guidance if there was something new to learn so I could complete the task to a high standard. I wasn't led every step of the way through my work but I was given the right level of support to work autonomously and to a high standard.

I was always kept busy- my main project was handling the responses to An Evening of Christmas Music but I also provided logistical support to the rest of my team, and also attended the events themselves which was a great experience.

I was solely responsible for my project, I could ask for advice at anytime but otherwise was left to get on with it. This was very valuable as it gave me a chance to develop my project managing skills. I was also given the opportunity to view/help with other aspects of organising the events my team was coordinating.

This time at Cancer Research UK as given me invaluable experience of being part of a top UK charity and will help me so much in getting a full time job in this sector. I have developed project management skills, communication skills, writing skills, team working skills, prioritising tasks, and working with new people. This is not an easy sector to find a footing but this helps enormously with pointing you in the right direction to kick start a career. The internship also provides workshops to help you with your CV, covering letter and interview skills- these are very helpful when determining what charities want from applicants when applying for jobs.

The atmosphere in the office was relaxed and always friendly. The desks were laid out in a way that you can interact with people apart from high pin boards meaning it was quite hard to communicate with people opposite you. There was always things going on, in my first few weeks there was a bake off, there are also people coming round as part of internal staff fundraising. If you ever wanted a cup of tea, there were kitchens where you could make your own (providing you brought in your own tea bags/coffee), or if you wanted a treat you could go to Hummingbird where Cancer Research UK staff get a discount!

We had an intern coordinator who oversaw the programme and did a fantastic job. Esther always kept us up to date with things, whether it was admin we needed to do, or any jobs that came up on the internal and external jobs board. We all had our separate line managers too, who were our first point of contact. My manager Sarah was always so helpful, and you could ask her anything you wanted.

Cancer Research UK ensured that the internship was run properly, and we could get the best out of our time there. There were extra workshops we could attend- CV, interviews, dragon's den etc. They also encouraged us to do intern fundraising so we could develop our fundraising skills further. We were also encouraged from the start to keep in mind what we could get out of this internship- and what skills we could develop whether this would be through the project we were assigned to or through shadowing days with other teams.

Very appealing- the atmosphere is amazing within this company and I am currently applying for jobs so I can stay with Cancer Research UK full time. There are many opportunities currently within Cancer Research UK which is very exciting as there are a huge variety of jobs to apply for.

Yes there were opportunities to meet for lunch, have socials, organise fundraising initiatives and volunteer with each other at events. I personally socialised with my team more but we had a lovely group of interns and would always stop and talk to people if I saw them around.

I was very lucky as I had family in London I could stay with. London is anything but cheap and if we did go for drinks, it was always somewhere we could get a discount with Cancer Research UK (there are quite a few places around the office) or during happy hour. Cancer Research UK does subsidise lunch costs and travel but if I hadn't had a place in London this would have been an issue for me. There is an opportunity to work from home, but I really felt you benefited from being in the office as you got to know people more.

Couldn't afford it and not really my thing anyway, the most I did was go for the occasional drink in the pub. There are plenty of opportunities in London though if you can afford it and like that sort of thing

There were a number of societies and fundraising events you could get involved within Cancer Research UK, I didn't do any research into activities externally so I couldn't say.