Corporate Partnerships Intern - Retail & Consumer Goods Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Macmillan Cancer Support. Every day was different, everyone was so helpful and friendly, the work was interesting and I really believe that I've gained skills here that will help me when applying for jobs after graduation,

From day one, I was given a high level of responsibility and I never felt like "the new intern". I was trusted to do all my work independently but I know that if I ever had a question, I could go to someone and ask them for help. I was asked along to corporate events, attended meetings and was in contact with stakeholders on a regular basis. I felt genuinely valued by the team here.

The induction process was very thorough and I was also encouraged to meet with various people across different departments so I could get a more rounded picture of Macmillan. I had a monthly review with my manager which was really relaxed and I was able to discuss any concerns as well as what I was enjoying at work. I mentioned that I would like to attend more meetings and be more involved in the contact with corporate partners so my manager invited me to every event after this so I know that all my comments were taken on board.

At the beginning, I wasn't overly busy but I think this was actually really helpful because there is so much to learn in the first few weeks but then after this, work picked up very quickly. I come to work in the morning and I already have things to be getting on with. I also know that if I ever reached a point where I didn't have a lot of work on, I could go and talk to my manager and I would be given more work. The best bit about this is that I wouldn't be given work that was just to fill time; it is genuine work with a purpose.

From day one, I was given a very high level of responsibility. I wasn't micro-managed which I liked because it meant that I could work to my own timetable and I could do my work as I wanted.

Although my internship has only been a few months long, I have got so much out of it! I am able to clearly list all of the skills that I've developed here and I would be able to give clear examples in an interview of where I've used these skills at my role here.

Very relaxed and everyone was so welcoming.

Extremely well organised and very well structured.

Macmillan offered a mentoring programme which I found invaluable. I've completed a mentoring programme with my university and I didn't find it half as useful as the mentoring programme here. My mentor was so helpful, supportive and was genuinely interested in my development.

Before I arrived at Macmillan, I'd never considered a job within the charity sector before but now I would definitely consider it. As a business student, I didn't understand how a charity would have business roles within it but I've seen that the charity sector has exactly the same departments as any business but you have the satisfaction of knowing that somehow (even if only very minor), your job has helped other people.

There were loads of other interns on the same scheme so there was always someone to go to lunch with. There were also two other interns in my department so it was also a great support network.

London is very expensive!

Although it's expensive, there's so much stuff to do in London!

There was a socials committee who organised regular events for interns outside of work.