Featured image – Lauren (left) at a Community Fair chatting to pre-sessional students about joining the University.
Over the next few weeks, we are excited to share some fantastic blog contributions from this summer’s Employ.ed on Campus interns.
So… what is an Employ.ed on Campus internship?
These internships offer second, third, or penultimate University of Edinburgh undergraduates the chance to work in a university department, take part in a structured internship, and get paid! Over the summer of 2024, 66 Employ.ed on Campus interns completed their summer internships and opportunities for the 2025 Employ.ed on Campus programme, will be advertised in February 2025. You can find out more on our webpage.
We begin our series of blogs with an excellent insight from Lauren, a fourth-year Politics student, who spent the summer working as a Communications Intern within the Pre-Arrivals and Induction team, based in the Careers Service.
Hi Lauren, what prompted you to apply for an Employ.ed on Campus internship, and what were you hoping to gain from this experience?
I applied for the Communications Internship as it incorporated everything I love – connecting with people, providing information, and creating dynamic content for social media and beyond. While I had previously worked in hospitality and tourism, I knew I wanted to take on an internship to develop my personal and practical skills in a way that would prepare me for life after university.
Going into my internship, I was nervous about how I would adjust to the new setting and office environment, however, within my first week I felt incredibly welcomed by the team and was starting to adjust to my tasks and responsibilities. Within my office, there were also three other interns, which meant that we would schedule coffee catch-ups about our projects and give each other advice and guidance.
Tell us a bit about your internship.
The main responsibility of my internship was managing the New Students Facebook group, where I created over 75 posts on essential information new students needed to know before starting university, in bite-sized and interactive pieces. I also worked with my team and beyond to create a series of ‘How To’ videos about GP registration, the University of Edinburgh Events app, and looking after your mental health at university, as well as blog posts focusing on my student experience.
As the summer months are busy for my team, I also helped with other tasks, such as organising promotion for the Student Information Fair, Events App administration, and creating content for Welcome videos which are sent to new students in the run-up to the start of their degree.
What was the highlight of your internship?
One of my favourite parts of my internship was seeing how much work goes into the student experience and Welcome Week from a Pre-Arrivals and Induction point of view. As a student, you only see the finished product during Welcome Week, and I did not realise that the team is working constantly all year round, and how much planning and collaboration goes into welcoming over 17,000 new students every September!
What have you learned from this experience and how you are going to apply that learning in the future?
Throughout my 12 weeks, I have learnt so many transferable skills; from creating dynamic and appealing content for a large audience, creating and editing videos in line with university guidelines, and collaborating and communicating with people from all around the University community.
I also took part in the Edinburgh Award, which helped me develop my skills in communicating with others, working as a team, and seeking and responding to feedback from my team and beyond. Working within the team has allowed me to connect with other interns and staff members and has helped me develop my skills and confidence working within a professional setting.
While I still have a year left of my undergraduate degree, after graduation I would love to either take on a masters or a graduate apprenticeship in Journalism. I believe my internship has helped me develop my skills, as I feel a lot more confident in my writing and communication ability, as well as my ability to find and convey information.
What are your top tips for students considering taking part in an Employ.ed on Campus internship in the future?
My top tip is to research and prepare in advance. Employ.ed internships typically open in February and March, and start in June, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get your CV ready and apply. I found out about my internship through the University of Edinburgh job portal, where all 75 internships throughout the University were posted. There are so many different internships you can apply for, and the experience is so rewarding. You also get to connect with other interns throughout, which can help you network, make friends, and learn about all the different departments and platforms across the University!
Many thanks Lauren.
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