Alright. Let me start off with introducing myself.
My name is Joanne and I'm currently a student finishing up my last semester in Curtin Singapore. I have chosen to do the module PR Internship on its own because I would like to ensure that I do not imperil my grades for other modules, especially after I saw how some of my classmates coped with internship and school.
Before I enrolled for my last module, I was a little apprehensive about actually looking for a company to intern in. The main concerns I had were:
- Not being able to apply what I learnt in school to work, and
- Not being tasked with work that was relevant to PR at all (since interns are usually exploited to do extremely irrelevant chores).
To minimise possibilities of the above happening to me, I bore in mind these questions when looking out for a company to do my internship in.
- Is it in-house or agency?
- Is it a boutique agency?
- Am I comfortable with the genre of work that the agency specialises in?
There are no definite answers to these questions. Before I share my opinions, I would like to make clear that this is solely what I feel. For me, I'm certain that I would like to enter an agency, therefore, the first answer has got to be agency. Secondly, whether or not it is a boutique agency, makes a lot of difference. I am not after the name of the company and how established it is. On the contrary, I am looking for a boutique agency because it is where I personally feel, that has more learning opportunities.
Why so?
Simple. At a smaller place, because of the limited number of staff available, a single staff has to deal with way more than a single staff in a big organisation where manpower isn't an issue. From media monitoring to pitching, there is a higher chance of being involve in the company's operations in a boutique agency. With this said, the smaller the company, the better. But if you don't enjoy dealing with stress and crazy deadlines, you may want to opt for a bigger organisation; better still, an MNC.
I found an internship with Brand Incorporated Singapore. Brand Inc specialises in the lifestyle sector and is a small agency with a team of 4, including my boss. I'm glad it is like how I expected internship to be; very relevant to what I had studied, instead of regular intern exploitation duties like buying coffee and lunch for everyone else and doing nothing but filing. I started on 1st November 2013 and until now, it has been a crazy ride. I met clients on my first day, along with my boss and was tasked with a mission that was due on my 2nd day. I have to admit that I was overwhelmed when I was done with work on my first day, but I really enjoyed it because at the end of the day, I was happy and looking forward to next day.
I found an internship with Brand Incorporated Singapore. Brand Inc specialises in the lifestyle sector and is a small agency with a team of 4, including my boss. I'm glad it is like how I expected internship to be; very relevant to what I had studied, instead of regular intern exploitation duties like buying coffee and lunch for everyone else and doing nothing but filing. I started on 1st November 2013 and until now, it has been a crazy ride. I met clients on my first day, along with my boss and was tasked with a mission that was due on my 2nd day. I have to admit that I was overwhelmed when I was done with work on my first day, but I really enjoyed it because at the end of the day, I was happy and looking forward to next day.
Well, that is what I would like to share with others my experience when it comes to looking for a company to intern in. All the best for everyone else doing their internship too!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! :)
