Health Community Engagement Intern Review

After a couple of weeks had passed I really enjoyed my internship as my workload increased - which was a good thing as it kept me busy. I managed to do a range of things and for the most part, I could take it in whichever direction I wanted by taking on tasks that I felt were appropriate for me or would push my and develop my skills.

My colleagues all introduced themselves to me and explained their roles a bit. I was made to feel very welcome and part of the team. They have expressed their appreciation numerous times of my work and given good feedback. I was also treated as part of the team in terms of lunch invites/leaving lunches and dinners as well as birthday celebrations, even when the internship had just started. I felt as much a part of the team as any of them.

I couldn't have asked for a better manager. She was a great support to me throughout my internship and made me feel like I could discuss anything with her. She would offer suggestions on tasks and opportunities that she felt were relevant to me as we spoke about my studies and future plans.

At the start and end I did find myself getting a little bored but when I raised this with my manager she thought of tasks for me. For the majority of my time, I found that I had a good balance. Any days that were busier than usual were still enjoyable and I didn't feel overly stressed.

I was given the freedom to approach tasks and projects in my own way and then given constructive criticism when there were any improvements to be made. I didn't feel micromanaged at any time and once a task was set I was trusted to carry it out well, asking for help when needed.

I have developed on my existing skills and also learnt new things which I know that I can apply to the rest of my degree as well as future roles. The ability to experience for myself what working life is actually like and the importance of networking are two of the biggest things I will take away from my internship.

There was always a pleasant atmosphere as everyone seemed friendly. There would sometimes be periods of the day where the office was louder and times when it was quieter and it is nice to have a bit of both. If colleagues around me and I felt like we could do with a little break we would have conversations about anything.

The majority of the internship was smoothly run. Prior to starting, I received all the information I needed in time and the induction was well-organised. I was assigned a buddy a week or so into the internship, which was great and most of the intern specific events were set up well.

There are a lot of workshops available to the company's staff in general, alongside the opportunities that interns were specifically sent. The staff webpages offered help on personal development and we were given the opportunity to schedule time with seniors in the company from any of the directorates. My manager also encouraged me to reach out to anyone who I thought could offer insight.

Interns have been informed of some roles that could be of interest and we were encouraged to keep an eye out for others or contact the department head about this too. I would be more than happy to come back to this organisation if I decide to look for a role in an office in the future.

Interns were left to be social among themselves. There wasn't anything in place for this apart from some encouragement and if there are no other interns in your team, like in my case, you have to make more of an effort. Although, getting involved in fundraising was a great way to interact with other interns and we did have a dedicated evening every week to catch up with each other over drinks.

I cannot comment on living in the area as I commuted from home and I am aware of some other interns that also chose to commute due to living out being too costly. However while central London tends to be expensive, some restaurants/bars/pubs did offer staff discounts for the company. There are also places to socialise that are affordable as well as pricier locations.

I myself did not experience the nightlife so I am basing my answer off of what I have heard from others and where colleagues have chosen to go for any evening plans. There are plenty of places where people could go and other locations are within reasonable distance from the area so there's enough variety for food and entertainment.

There were plenty of volunteering opportunities that were advertised to us via internal communications every week. A lot of these involved activities outside of the office. There were also a few events that we could attend and we were offered discounted tickets to comedy shows in the local area. In terms of sports, there were exercise classes available to staff at low prices.