In the run up to the opening of the 2024 Employ.ed internship programme (for current 2nd, 3rd and penultimate year undergraduate students), we have asked a couple of previous interns to share their experiences in an Insights mini-series. This post is by Kaden.
How did you find out about the Employ.ed internship scheme? What made you apply for the internship?
I had been looking for summer internships all throughout the year after realising that my CV was looking pretty empty. After being rejected at least twenty times, I got an email in March talking about Employ.Ed internships and decided that I had nothing to lose by applying. I applied for around five internships which sounded interesting and the first to respond to me was the Taught Student Development team (TSD) within the IAD (Institute for Academic Development) – the role being the Study Development Analysis intern. I was invited to an interview in person and a couple of days later was offered the role which I enthusiastically accepted.
What was most challenging about your internship?
There have been a number of challenges throughout the role. The role involved analysing data from the workshops and consultations ran by the TSD and compiling a long report. All of the data being handled through Microsoft Excel was the main cause for frustration, being long and overly-complicated even when trying to do the most simple calculations and tasks. I also had a lot of freedom over what I do, which led to multiple revisions and re-drafts. The role was hybrid, being in office three days a week and at home the other two, and grinding through spreadsheets at home did lead to certain difficulties with concentration. This being said, I managed to overcome these obstacles no matter how many times Excel tried to stop me and can honestly say that I really enjoyed my time working here.
What did you enjoy most about your internship?
Working within the University has opened my eyes to the inner workings and being alongside the amazing and supportive people within the IAD has been the icing on the cake. The role itself was very open-ended allowing me to explore the various tasks at my own pace and paired with the office atmosphere, made the whole thing extremely enjoyable. Being able to complete the Edinburgh Award alongside the internship as well allowed me to reflect on the skills that I was garnering and showed me just how much I had developed those throughout the internship.
What advice would you give anyone thinking of applying for an Employ.ed internship?
The application process is super quick and easy, and there are so many different opportunities available across many schools and departments all within the University; so you will undoubtedly be able to find one that suits your interests. You will learn useful skills and will gain a perspective which you wouldn’t get from your studies, allowing you to see how many different things are going on at and within the University; you will be able to spend the summer in a very productive and fun way and earn some money as well.
Kaden is a fourth-year mathematics student at the University of Edinburgh. In his free time he enjoys eating and watching movies.
