Health, Safety and Wellbeing Intern Review

I really enjoyed my placement. Was very insightful and was given real responsibility whilst I was at CRUK. This was great as it felt like I was doing something meaningful and actually making a difference. What I enjoyed most was the variety of work I was given and the opportunity to meet other interns. We also were involved in fundraising which was also a highlight of my internhsip.

I felt really valued by my colleagues. No matter the level of seniority my comments and ideas were always valued and taken on board and considered. My colleagues were always keen to have my opinion on things and appreciative of my input. Everyone who I sat near in the office was really kind and treated me like a normal member of staff.

I was supported by my manager completely throughout my internship. She was really and whenever I needed her or wanted to discuss something she was always on hand to help and more than willing to give my advice and guidance. I often had to refer to my manager to get support and I never once felt like I couldn't ask for that support.

At the start of the internship I was very busy as I had been given a couple of large projects and was getting use to working at CRUK and becoming familiar with the organisation. Naturally, as the internship was winding down I had a little less to do. But generally I was busy enough on a daily basis.

I was given real responsibility from the day I got to CRUK. I felt like the work I was doing was valued and really going to make a difference and would help CRUK employees long after I have left CRUK. I was given enough responsibility and tasks for the whole internship, but not so much that it was overwhelming or daunting at any time.

The skills I learnt and developed will really assistant me going forward. I learnt so much from general office etiquette to skills which I can take with me to other workplace. These are really invaluable and I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to gain theses skills at CRUK.

The atmosphere in the office was a really good balance of friendly yet with a formal edge. Generally, the atmosphere was quite informal and people were really kind and friendly. In my team and who I sat near, everyone was welcoming and I always enjoyed being in the office. Therefore the general atmosphere was really great.

Personally, I think it was a little unclear what I would be doing throughout the internship as I was meant to work in two sections. However, over time the work in one section built up and I no longer worked in the second section. So, it would have been good to have decided this before I came to CRUK. Otherwise, generally the internship was well set up and all the courses and meetings for all interns were great.

CRUK really invested in me. We received intern training in terms of resilience, project management and career development. Also my team really invested in my training and I spent time learning new Microsoft software which was will really valuable in the future for myself. Therefore, CRUK did make a real effort to offer personal development and training. There was always opportunities to get more training and I felt like I could reach out to anyone and ask for more.

I would thoroughly recommend working at CRUK, however, future employment prospects are not great as they understandably have a freeze on recruitment due to Covid-19. However, even without Covid-19, there wasn't a lot of employment opportunities for interns which is a shame. As not many jobs were posted I can't say whether or not their prospects were appealing to me.

Yes there was a very good one. The interns really band together and are always in contact. We had a whatsapp group which we were always communicating on. We also organised social events and met up outside of office. We also often got lunch together or went to get a coffee together.

As we were next to Westfield Stratford we often received discounts in the restaurants and pubs based there which brought the cost of socialising down. Generally, it the cost of living was standard for London and what I expected. So it wasn't cheap but nor was it outrageously expensive. Dependant upon personal preferences.

I did not really experience the nightlife in the area which I worked. I am not sure if there was much of one. There was pubs in the area but I am not sure if there was anything more. There was also cinemas and bowling alleys with bars in them, but again I am not sure if the nightlife went beyond that.

There were a variety of different sports and social events and activities which I could get involved with and other volunteering activities which interns were encouraged to take part in. I would say there was plenty of opportunity to get involved in activities outside of work although possibly not endless opportunities.