Stand Up To Cancer Marketing Intern Review

My internship at Cancer Research UK never seemed like a chore or an effort. It was so lovely to come in everyday and see the other interns - who I knew due to the extremely valuable induction days - and my colleagues who were all so supportive and treated me like a highly valued member of the team. There was always something different and exciting to do and it was a real joy to work here for three months.

There was never a time that I felt like I was not valued by my colleagues or was a burden to them. I was given real responsibilities and tasks that really mattered to my team and the organisation. I have come away from my time at Cancer Research UK feeling like I have really made a difference and an impact.

I was never short of support during my internship. Weekly 1-2-1s with my manager, an opportunity for weekly mentoring meetings and constant contact with the intern manager meant that I felt like I was supported right the way through. There is such a great onus on personal development here and so I really felt like my manager and my team were constantly helping me to move forward and were there for any issues/problems/questions I had.

I always had something to work on at CRUK. Usually I was given a big project that would span over a couple of weeks that needed daily attention and work, and I would also be given smaller tasks daily. If I ever felt like I had nothing to do, I felt extremely comfortable asking my manager for more work and it would be given immediately. However I rarely felt like I was inundated with tasks that were too overwhelming - a perfect balance.

I was shocked at how much responsibility I was actually given. Due to the nature of the organisation, I did not expect to be given such important tasks that would make a difference, but that's exactly what I was given. It was so rewarding to see things that I worked on actually be used in communications, on social, within the team etc. and my manager was really great at making sure I saw the effects of my work.

I had never undertaken anything like this before and so I know that I will take the experiences I learnt from Cancer Research UK with me when I graduate. As previously mentioned, my personal development was really focused on during my time here and so I feel like I am better equipped to apply for jobs in a similar role. We also had CV and interview training which means that I will be so much more confident in myself when applying for jobs after University.

It is an open plan office, so it's really easy to communicate with everyone. Although my team had a lot of work to do, the atmosphere was quite relaxed, being able to talk freely to everyone in your team about work, but having our fair share of fun also.

It was incredibly well organised. We had two induction days which gave us an overall view of the charity and how all the major components worked together. We had 1-2-1s with our managers weekly, but also organised 2, 6 and 12 week reviews for which there were guidelines of topics to discuss if we needed them. There were opportunities for presentation workshops, CV and interview training and inductions with other teams. We had a goodbye event also, during which we heard speeches from interns about their time at Cancer Research UK and we received yearbooks which some interns put together. I have no criticisms about the organisation of the internship.

Cancer Research UK invested hugely in each intern. We had presentation skills sessions, CV and interview training, the opportunity to have an induction with another team, fundraise together, assist other teams in their volunteering activities, weekly objectives and many other opportunities. My personal training and development is something I feel has been focused on the most during my time here.

Future employment prospects are very appealing here. Many interns are staying on whether for a full-time job, or as a part-time contract. I have not applied for anything as I must return to University, but I feel my internship will definitely help me if I decide to apply for the graduate scheme or a job here.

We were encouraged after the induction days to go to the pub and get to know the other interns, and this is something we have kept up throughout the internship. We would go for drinks, dinner, dancing etc often inviting our managers and teams . With my team we would go for drinks after work and lunches also.

Travel was expensive, but this was reimbursed - as was lunch. So the cost of living and socialising wasn't too extortionate. I was able to fund everything I wanted to do during my internship.

There's so much to do in Angel - so many bars, pubs, restaurants, karaoke events, roller disco-ing etc.!

Cancer Research UK always had things going on outside of work. I went to Wireless festival with my team to promote our brand, flyered around London, went to our partner's offices and events we had worked on.