I am 15 days into my second internship at the Public
Transport Authority (PTA). The PTA is responsible for the public transport infrastructure;
this includes building train lines, stations, bus stops ext.
My experience working at the PTA has been the complete
opposite to my time at GO Communications (GO). GO is a public relations
consultancy firm in Malaysia, while my role at the PTA is in-house for a Western
Australian Government department. As far as public relations goes I think they
are as different as you can get.
Media communication
Working in a government communications department is
different to consultancy in so many ways. One area that particularly stands out is media
communication.
At GO we tried so hard to get media attention, whereas the PTA never
has trouble getting media to a press conference. In fact they are often trying
to deter media in an effort to keep information quite to avoid premature release.
I guess this is because the PTA are working on projects that
directly affect so many people. As well as this, they are spending tax payers
money. The media will report on what people want to know about, and everyone
wants to know if their tax dollars are being invested wisely.
Budget
Another thing that is very different is the budget. Working
in a consultancy the client determines the budget. I was surprised to see the extravagant
things clients expect for such little expenditure.
In a government department the state treasurer determines
the department’s budget. It is interesting to see how big the project budgets
are for government, and just how much things actually cost.
At the PTA I am currently organising the opening of the new
Butler Train Station (click here for more information on Butler Station). It is my job to arrange the stagging, seating, the
community activities, signage, the opening plaque and the budget, among various
other articles. In sourcing quotes, ordering numerous items and keeping track of
the budget, I was very shocked to see how quickly costs add up.
In a
consultancy you have to try and convince the client to spend money on all these
extra little things to make the event perfect. This can be a hard task. At GO,
my team spent days trying to convince a client to hire a professional
photographer to capture their event.
PTA
I have really enjoyed my time at the PTA so far. I have had
loads of exposure to all kinds of different communications. I have written
stories for the intranet, attended meetings with internal and external
stakeholders and been involved in event coordination. I like working for the
PTA because I feel like I am contributing to making our state a better place,
rather than simply helping big corporations get richer.
I am interested to experience working in-house for
private organisation so I can compare it to consultancy and government.
I'd love to hear whether you'd prefer to work in-house or in a consultancy?
Whitney
