Challenges faced during my internship

Hi readers!

I thought that for today’s entry I would focus on the challenges of being an intern. I'm sure many of you would agree that there is always at least a few!

While the opportunity to intern in a public relations context undoubtedly brings a number of exciting experiences I still feel that identifying and learning from mistakes is just as character building.

Expectations

While my supervisor knows that I have been trained in PR often my role as an intern requires me to assist in marketing, advertising, administrative work and other general duties. Often I have felt out of my element with some tasks and I begin to worry that I'll disappoint my colleagues if I fail to meet their expectations. Most of the time I am able to do this, and once I realise that it is okay to ask for help I often am relieved of the stress of trying to impress. 

Change

My placement has a long history and was established about 34 years ago. A number of processes have remained the same, and often I get the sense that change is only enacted slowly. While social media is used, I don't believe it is used to its full potential. While occasionally I feel restricted I now see that this can be a way for me to identify better PR practice and provide credible recommendations to my placement post internship.

Organisational Structure 

My placement doesn't have written public relations policies or guidelines. While initially I thought this was concerning, after getting used to the management of the organisation I began to realise that while they are not written obviously policies and guidelines exist and are simply understood by each staff member. I hope to highlight this in my final report.

Bonus Challenge: Language

My placement is a non-for-profit organisation funded by the Hyogo Prefectural Government. While majority of the tasks I undertake are in English, it is common for me to be required to speak Japanese to new clients, other staff members and Government Officials. While one of my superiors does understand English very well, often I must clarify with him in Japanese to avoid potential misunderstanding. In addition the way public relations is conducted in English is completely different to how it is conducted in Japan. Switching between Japanese and English reminds me that working in PR is very much a globalised skill. I hope to be able to get further experience using PR in different parts of the world and compare the differences to what I have learn at university in Australia.

Has anyone else struggled through their internship similar to me? Please comment below with the problem areas and what you have learnt from them.

Until next time,

Jared.