It has now been eight months since I began my internship with the University of Edinburgh’s Information Services Group. What started as a 12-week summer internship has become my part-time job alongside my studies and has allowed me to learn new skills, meet new friends, and seize so many new opportunities! With the time fast approaching for the next generation of summer interns to secure their places at ISG, I thought it might be helpful to reflect on my journey and hopefully provide those interested in applying this summer with a guide to navigating the application process and what to expect from the internship.
The Application Process
I first heard about ISG’s summer intern programme through one of my professors. Using the UofE careers website, I was able to easily browse the positions available. The advertisements provided detailed information about what each internship entailed, allowing me to apply for the role I felt I was best suited for. There is a huge variety of roles available and something for everyone, so you are sure to find an internship that you feel is a good fit for you. As soon as I saw the internship for the accused witches of Scotland project, I knew it would be the perfect role for me and I had to apply.
Upon applying, I received a Key Information Document from Unitemps with details about pay, holidays and other benefits. Once I had been offered an interview, I took the opportunity to attend an online Q and A led by the Unitemps recruitment intern, which was extremely informative and helped me feel more prepared and confident going into my interview. The format was a 40 minute panel interview with key members of the team. Although it sounded slightly daunting, I found it was a great opportunity not only to showcase why I would be a strong candidate, but also to learn more about the role itself as well as work life at ISG in general. Within a week of interviewing, I was informed through an email from Unitemps that I had been offered the position. I then attended a right to work check, which took only 15 minutes.
The Internship
My first week consisted of meeting with my line manager to discuss both mine and their expectations of the role, set goals for the summer, and complete induction paperwork and mandatory training modules. As this was my first experience working in an office, I was quite nervous before starting. However, with the help of an incredibly supportive team and a hoard of 50+ other student interns all in the same boat, I quickly found my feet and have been thriving ever since.
As a summer intern with ISG, there are so many opportunities to socialise with the other interns, including coffee mornings, pizza parties, and a great selection of games and puzzles to be played at lunchtime. A lot of the internships are collaborative and you work closely with other students, so you quickly get to know your cohort. We also had a WhatsApp group that has allowed us all to keep in touch even after the summer came to an end.
For me, a highlight of the internship was in the last few weeks, when each intern presented what they had been working on all summer and gave a bit of insight into their experiences. It was so exciting to see everyone’s work come to fruition and find out what they were most proud of. It was especially nice to hear that everyone got so much out of their time and learned things they will take with them into their future careers.
One of the sentiments that was repeated by many interns in their presentation is how respected and valued you feel at ISG. From day one you are treated as an equal and important member of the team, and you really feel that your work matters and contributes to something bigger than you. As one of the University’s largest student employers, ISG are extremely understanding, flexible and place a huge emphasis on giving employees any support or resources they may need to produce their best work, which in turn creates an extremely positive work environment.
Conclusion
My internship with ISG has been an unforgettable experience, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for work experience this summer. I have had the opportunity to attend different workshops and learn new skills, participate in Wikipedia edit-a-thons, write blog posts about my time here, meet with a curator at the National Museum of Scotland and so much more. It has been such a rewarding experience, and I know I will take the things I have learned here with me into my future career.
One of the things that I found made me feel more confident and less alone when I started my internship was reading blog posts from previous interns, so I hope this blog can do the same for those thinking of applying this summer. Thank you for reading and good luck to all applicants!
