Stand Up To Cancer Fundraising Intern Review

I absolutely loved working at Cancer Research UK. The company has a real emphasis on work: life balance, which meant that our extra curricular priorities were also taken into account. We were encouraged to take holiday over the summer, and to leave promptly at 5pm everyday, often to go an enjoy some form of intern social or other. The work is challenging, but in the best possible way. They really try and take your personal attributes into account, and tailor your work to what you love, and what you're good at.

Even after a few days within my team, I felt personally valued. As soon as you join a team, a 1 to 1 chat is scheduled with each team member, so you feel that you really know everyone, even after just a few days. There was nothing I couldn't talk to my manger or the other interns about. Everyone takes a genuine interest in each other's lives outside of work, and weekly catch ups are scheduled between intern and manager to check that everything is running smoothly both in your working life, and your private life. It's a very caring environment.

There is a real open door policy at Cancer Research UK. Even on the occasions when I was really slow to understand what a manager was asking me to do, or when I completed a task incorrectly, no one ever lost their temper, or got bored of the constant questions, even if they had to repeat themselves 5 times. The managers here will explain and explain until you catch on. If you do something wrong, it's not a problem. I very much felt that there is no such thing as a stupid question.

My workload really did vary from day to day. There were days when I had finished all of my work by 3pm, but this was never a problem as there is always someone who could use a hand doing something or other. There were other days when I felt entirely run off my feet, but even on those days my manager insisted that I take my full hour of lunch, and that I never stayed more than half and hour late. My internship was based around a specific event, which inevitably meant that my workload became more intensive as the event neared, however this is an ideal situation, because the longer you stay in a role, the more you know, and the more work you can handle.

I was given a really nice amount of responsibility. I was assigned my own projects and tasks, but knew that I could ask for help or guidance whenever I needed to, and regular catch ups meant that my manager knew exactly where I was in my projects, and could tell me if I was going along the right track, and if she had any ideas which would make my projects even better. This meant that I felt I really owned my role, however knew that I could never go too far wrong.

Before I started my internship, I had a perennial fear of making phone calls, which is inevitably a hindrance in day to day life. With careful support and guidance from my team, I managed to overcome this fear, and I now make around 50 calls a day without even thinking about it. This is just one example of how much this internship has not only developed my skills, but developed me as a person.

The general atmosphere varies from team to team, however my team was hugely warm and very loud. Although the focus is on work, there is also a huge emphasis on maintaining relationships between colleagues, so no one is ever shy to pop over and perch on someone elses desk if they have a question or just fancy a chat; its so much nicer and easier than an email!

The internship was perfectly set up, thanks entirely to our intern manager, who was in charge of all 50 or so interns. She tirelessly helped us organised socials and fundraisers, and was always there for us whether we wanted a chat, a rant, a cry, anything! She is probably the most organised and calmest person I know.

My personal development was a main focus of the internship from CRUK's perspective. We were told to map out one skill or area on which we wanted to improve every week, which meant that by the end of the internship, I had polished 12 areas which I was a little unsteady on before. They really make it feel like you are the focus of a great effort from a lot of sides.

I am about to go into my 2nd year of university, so I am not currently looking for further employment, however CRUK make future employment prospects really easy to apply for. They put a real focus on networking within the organisation, so you know that if you ever want to come back, there will always be someone who will be happy to speak with you, and give you the right guidance.

We had a weekly social, which ranged from a roller disco, to a pub quiz, to bowling, and also met frequently for drinks after work in between 'official' socials. I have made some friends here whom I will never forget. There was never a chance to get bored or lonely.

The cost of living in London is high, but that is to be expected. Angel has some fantastic bars, many of which offer happy hour deals or student discounts, however, so I would say that in comparison to some other areas in London, it was actually really manageable.

Islington High Street has some absolutely fantastic, really out of the ordinary bars and nightclubs, which are an absolute blast. The CRUK offices are also really close to Angel tube, however, so if we fancied going further afield, it was always really easy.

At least once a week we would be offered an opportunity to volunteer at an event within the charity, or be given tickets to go somewhere, be it a sporting event or a ball or a photoshoot, a theatre trip or a festival. I would say that this was a huge perk of working at CRUK, as you get to experience events you would never otherwise go to, and meet people you would have never otherwise met.