Funding Innovation Intern Review

by Cancer Research UK

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.2/5
  • The Role
    3.9
  • The Company
    2.7
  • The Culture
    2.6

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I really enjoyed the work environment at the Angel office. The people are really welcoming and helpful, and the work that I did contributed to the team's efforts. Everyone is working together to achieve the same goal, and you're surrounded by people who are just as enthusiastic about beating cancer. I found the work I did was not exactly what I thought it would be, and there was quite a bit of spreadsheet and data analysis work. At the beginning there was quite a lot of information to take on (still learning in my last few weeks), but it helped me to develop my skills and I enjoyed it nonetheless. Having the other interns also helps, as it gives you a chance to make friends with other people in the same boat. Intern lunches and after work drinks made the experience 10x better.

    3/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • Very valued. My manager was focused on how I could develop my skills, and was interested in the things I wanted to gain from the internship. The other women on my team were just as helpful and worked with me rather than setting me tasks and leaving me to figure it out on my own.

    4/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • My manager was very helpful and gave me support whenever I needed it. She walked me through the steps I needed to take to tackle a task, and gave constructive comments on how to improve my work. My colleagues were also just as supportive, and more than happy to offer help when I needed it.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • I had a comfortable balance of work most days, and on days where I felt I could take on more work my manager would set me another task to complete. I liked the fact that she never set me a task that was pointless just to fill up my time, and everything I did counted for something.

    5/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • The work that I did was important for the team to keep moving forward with their work. I collated and analysed data, reported stats to the rest of the team, and helped with event planning for an international summit. I played an important role and allowed the team to spread the workload, but was not involved in tasks such as triaging applications due to lack of experience in the funding sector.

    3/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • I have developed skills in so many areas, from how to deal with the tube at rush hour to using Gantt charts for task planning. I now know more about event planning, writing emails in a professional manner, data analysis using excel, and much more. This internship allows you to focus on developing your skills in areas that you're not particularly comfortable with, without the added pressure of a real-life job.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The atmosphere is very welcoming. In my department we hot desk, which means no one has an assigned seat and you sit where there is an available space. This sounds daunting at first, but is actually a great way to get to know your colleagues and share new ideas with those around you. We also have a Skype messaging system so if you can't find someone or they are away from their desk, you can just message them. Everyone in the office is encouraged to help each other and it makes for a great work environment.

    3/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • The application process was very well organised, and I was emailed about my placement 2 weeks after my internship, which is when they said I would be given an answer. The internship itself was organised very well. Esther made sure we had many chances to improve our skill sets with workshops. We had a "social sec" that organised drinks once a week on Wednesday or Thursday.

    3/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • There were many chances to improve skills in workshops for things like PowerPoint, LinkedIn, CV writing and Interviews. The staff involved gave up their time to help us develop these skill sets. My manager specifically had a lot of work to do during the period of time I was at CRUK, but still took the time to have weekly meetings with me regarding my progress and offer help when I needed it.

    3/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Flexi Time

    Sports and Social Club

    Company Parties/Events

    Working from home

    3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • There are jobs advertised internally all the time. These are only offered to CRUK staff, and are emailed to interns too. Many interns stay on at CRUK after the internship ends. In my team - funding innovation - you need to have a PhD to get a job. CRUK encourage job movement within the company, so that you can find what you like and not become stagnant in your work.

    3/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • Yes. Daily lunches, weekly drinks, intern fundraising and more. Intern fundraising specifically was a great way to socialise with the other interns while also raising money for CRUK. We also had lunch together on most days, and tried many of the food places around Angel. In the evenings on Wednesdays and Thursdays we typically went to Radicals and Victuallers, which is a pub down the road that offers CRUK employees a 10% discount.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • The Angel area is quite expensive, but there are places you can go that are much cheaper. We were also expensed up to £4 for lunch. This is a little hard to stick to with all the choices there are, but it brings your personal costs for lunch down a bit. I don't live near this area, and commute in from outside London. CRUK cover my travel costs completely.

    2/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • The Radicals pub is a really nice place to go after work for drinks, and isn't far from Angel station. Angel is usually quite busy in the evening. I have not been clubbing in Angel, but another intern lives around here and has recommended it. The area is close to Shoreditch which is really popular for going out.

    3/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • Absolutely. There are many fundraising opportunities such as the intern fundraising. We set up a bake sale, bucket collected at an England game and organised a CRUK netball tournament.

    3/5

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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

Business Operations, Voluntary

London

December 2017


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