Category Archives: Classics and Ancient History

Employer Case Study: RAMM

Name of Organisation: Royal Albert Memorial Museum

Description of Organisation: RAMM will enhance people’s quality of life. It’s a place of discovery which encourages everyone to be curious. RAMM uses its local and global collections to connect people to the world and inspires them to shape a better future.

Name of Employer: Nicki McCaskie

Job Title: Marketing and Communications Officer

Internship Scheme used: Graduate Business Partnership (GBP) , 

Feedback:

“Our intern ran a campaign for us, Treasures of the Museum, which was highly successful at getting families into RAMM and engaging with our collections through a museum trail. Treasures of the Museum was part of a wider summer campaign which resulted in RAMM achieving over 140% of predicted visits for the summer period. Our social media audiences & engagement stats have also increased over all platforms during our interns time with us, including over 1000 more Twitter followers. Our Instagram channel has greatly improved with high quality posts and regular Instagram stories.

Thanks to an award application written by our incredible intern, RAMM is a finalist in this year’s Devon Tourism Awards for the Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award category. Internally, our Audience Development meetings are now more organised and better-recorded thanks to our intern’s planning skills and note-taking.

Our intern has been excellent; she settled into our team straight away, and has become a valued member over the past 15 months. She responded well to challenges presented by the pandemic, working flexibly and solving problems as they arose. We were extremely impressed by her creativity, her communication skills, her dedication to the role and her passion for the museum.”

The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum – Student Case Study 

 

What were your key responsibilities during your internship?  

My key duties included gathering research and data to assist the curator with his plans to bid for funding from the National Heritage Lottery Fund (NLHF) as part of his aim to expand and redevelop the museum. I analysed and presented this data using a range of software, including Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. This also informed my participation in several staff meetings where I was able to gain insight and contribute my own ideas based on my findings. Specifically, I looked at academics and researchers who had used the museum’s collections to inform their publications/projects since 2017 in order to update the BDC’s database, demonstrating the value of the museum as a resource.  

As well as this, I looked at various other university museums such as, film museums within and outside of Europe to see how they function to engage the community and meet the NLHF’s broader requirements of creative projects, and to see how their strategies could influence the BDC’s future aims. Other key duties included preparing and presenting a talk to a U3A group (roughly 20 visitors) on pre-cinema in the museum’s lower gallery, which was received with much enthusiasm, and assisting the curator with a display for Campus Cinema’s 70th anniversary party, which was also hosted in the museum’s lower gallery. 

 

What was your biggest achievement on your internship? 

My biggest achievement during the internship was using my initiative to map the curator’s annual museum reports 2015-2019 to the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Strategic Funding Framework key requirements of heritage projects (2019-2024). After producing a range of documents for the curator, I decided to tie up this research by presenting the data in a way which directly linked the museum’s existing/past initiatives to the NLHF’s in a way which was visually clear and focused, and which the curator could refer to when writing up his proposal for the funding bid. As commented on by the curator himself, this piece of work demonstrated my analytical skills and ability to use my initiative, under the guidance of the curator, to contribute my own unique strengths and ideas without simply waiting for the next task to be assigned. The documents produced will inform (in part) the curator’s next steps in the museum’s redevelopment. 

 

Summary of your internship experience. 

I honestly could not fault this experience whatsoever. I was lucky enough to have already been volunteering at the Bill Dougla Cinema Musuem on campus since September, and since I am passionate about working within Arts, Culture and Heritage, and having already built up a relationship with the curator, Phil Wickham, I knew that it was the ideal place for me to undertake a four-week internship. Before the internship started, Phil asked me what specific skills I wanted to develop while offering me the opportunity to assist him with the gathering of research and data to support his plans to bid for funds to expand the museum. Having undertaken the relevant module Creative Industries: Their Past, Our Future, as part of my English BA course, I was able to combine my academic studies with real-world practical experience, proving the value of the internship in this way. Further, Phil allowed me to use my initiative and offer my own suggestions in relation to the museum’s redevelopment project, which allowed me to feel like a real part of the team, while allowing me to demonstrate my ability to think creatively and intuitively rather than simply wait for instructions. I am eternally grateful for the encouragement that I received throughout the four weeks, with Phil allowing me to contribute to a variety of staff discussions with my research, as well as pushing me out of my comfort zone by asking me to deliver a short talk to a group of museum visitors in my second week. Though I was petrified, I managed to deliver the talk with a confidence that I did not believe that I had, and Phil is to thank for encouraging me to do something which he knew that I generally struggle with while being supportive throughout.  

 

Would you recommend doing an internship, and why? 

This internship confirmed to me that I have chosen a career path that I am well-suited to. I was excited to go into work every morning, and really did feel like a valued part of the team. Having vowed to never study again following the completion of my dissertation days before the internship started, the experience has made me so passionate to continue working toward an ambitious future career within the creative industries, and I feel so lucky to be able to say that I received an offer from the University of Exeter to undertake an MA in September in Creativity: Innovation and Business Strategy. I am so thankful for this invaluable experience, and would recommend it to anyone. Thank you to the University of Exeter and Phil Wickham for an unforgettable experience. 

The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum – Employer Case Study

Name of Organisation:  The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum

Description of Organisation: The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum is home to one of the largest collections of material relating to the moving image in Britain. We are both an accredited public museum and an academic research facility and we hold a collection of over 85,000 items. Over 1,000 of our items are on display in our Galleries and are available to be viewed by the public.

Name of Employer:  Phil Wickham

Job Title: Curator

Internship Scheme used:  A2I

Employer subsidies (A2I) – Employment Services – University of Exeter

Feedback:

We recruited a Curatorial Intern who researched and produced data to support a planned funding bid and also assisted with other key duties in the museum. The main research task was to assist with funding from the National Heritage Lottery Fund (NLHF). This work was completed to a very high standard. She also looked into an array of academic researchers who had used the museum’s collections and got in touch with them about their publications or projects. The intern was confident, organised and hardworking, this showed specifically through her preparation of a talk on pre-cinema in the museum’s gallery. She then went on to present this to visitors which was received with much enthusiasm. The internship went very well. She continued to volunteer for us after her internship and did some really valuable data analysis work on the museum’s visitors that will help us to develop. 

This is an excellent scheme. We have used A2I twice and both times been able to benefit from exceptional talents. We highly recommend taking on an intern from the University of Exeter.  

Quote from Intern:

“I honestly could not fault this experience whatsoever. I was able to combine my academic studies with real-world practical experience. Phil allowed me to use my initiative and offer my own suggestions in relation to the museum’s redevelopment project, which caused me to feel like a real part of the team. It also allowed me to demonstrate my ability to think creatively and intuitively rather than simply wait for instructions. I am eternally grateful for the encouragement that I received throughout the four weeks. This internship confirmed to me that I have chosen a career path that I am well-suited to.”

Volunteer Opportunities Officer – Wheal Martyn

What were your main roles and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

My role for the week was to create four volunteer role profiles. In order to do this I had to speak to people including: the Museum Manager, Curator, Exhibition and Engagement Officer and the Project Manager to inform these roles. I also created promotional material for the new volunteer roles and amended existing application and induction forms to make them suitable.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

Over the course of my internship I had to arrange meetings with a variety of people both face to face and over the telephone so my biggest achievement was gaining the confidence to talk to these new people in order to complete my work. I think this will be an advantage in any internships or jobs I have in the future as I will have the confidence to speak to a range of people.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

Wheal Martyn have recently been awarded a funding by the Heritage Lottery for a new project called the Clay Works! Project. Due to this, there are many new opportunities for volunteers which need to be communicated to the public. The creation of volunteer role profiles and promotional material will be helpful to Wheal Martyn as these materials will enable the museum to recruit a diverse range of people to become volunteers. Creating these materials can be time consuming and the office is very busy due to the commencement of this new project so the work completed during my internship will help to lighten a small part of the workload the museum currently has.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Communication, research, networking

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Confidence, perseverance, professionalism

 

Publishing Intern – Impress Books

What were your main roles and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

During my month as an intern at Impress Books I was mainly in charge of the Impress Prize, this meant that I had to check that the applications and payments were properly received as well as read through the manuscripts to evaluate them in order to choose a winner. I also took care of the company’s social media, organises a book giveaway and blog tour as well as the amazon orders. I helped with the interior design of a to-be-published book.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

I have gained the confidence to evaluate manuscripts in Prize submissions.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I have considerably lightened the workload of my superior by taking care of the Impress Prize, Amazon orders and social media.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Communication, problem solving, leadership

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Initiative, creative thinking, professionalism

Student Researcher – University of Exeter Education Incubator

What were your main roles and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

  • Offering administrative support to three Chinese fellows on MOOC course on contemporary Chinese culture
  • Planning and drafting a social media campaign
  • Proofreading and editing of English texts written by non-native speakers, and adapting these to an online context
  • Recruiting student and non-student volunteers for the trial version of the course

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

The independent nature of the role meant that I was able to really strengthen my skills in taking the initiative and working autonomously and independently.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

Administrative support, lightening my colleagues’ workload, and ensuring that all course content and materials were adapting and appropriate for an English-language audience.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Communication, leadership, decision making

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Initiative, perseverance, independence

Church Intern – Grace Church Truro

What were your main roles and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

My internship involved theology study and assignments, leadership development training and working with a partner charity of Grace Church, Christians Against Poverty. My key area of responsibility was as a Christians Against Poverty ‘Job Club Coach’, helping those who have been out of work to find their way back to different jobs.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

My biggest achievement was working as a CAP Job Club coach, aiming to help people from low social-economic backgrounds find their way into jobs – it was a challenging and rewarding role.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

Personally I benefited hugely from the theology training and leadership development. I gained a clearer understanding of the types of roles I am interested in taking in the future.

Archive Assistant – Unfinished Histories

What were your main roles and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

Assisting in the cataloguing of the Inter-Action Archive, sorting through new documents for relevant material, helping set up a Facebook page for the project, and transcribing interviews with key members of Inter-Action.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

Being able to make practical use of my research skills in a professional environment – rather than using it to write essays I actually got to use my research and analytical skills to analyse key documents and organise documents accordingly.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

The main benefit was probably helping them get through archival material and organise them accordingly which in turn allowed them to search through other garages to collect more documents. Also, I helped in establishing a Facebook page which will make it easier to post updates on the project as well as getting in contact with people who were part of the Inter-Action community group.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Communication, focus on goals and outcomes, IT

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Confidence, initiative, motivation

Museum Assistant – Museum of Witchcraft and Magic

What were your main roles and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

My main responsibilities included cataloguing museum exhibition objects, researching museum objects, and updating the database. The cataloguing and research generally centered on the current Ritual Magic exhibition called ‘Dew of Heaven’. The bulk of the cataloguing material included a donation of various 20th century occult materials, which required further research using the museum library and the internet, and making links to other objects in the museum’s collections. Another main task involved scanning in object labels made by the museum’s founder and matching them with their corresponding objects where possible. Some of my minor tasks also included setting the museum up in the morning – sweeping and lighting incense, as well as operating the till.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

My biggest achievement over the course of my internship included using my research skills to uncover information about the members of the late 19th and early 20th century occultist Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Various sources revealed fascinating and enlightening information about the order’s then-secret members. This task was a part of the cataloguing project that was one of my responsibilities, which I successfully completed by the end of my internship, which I then outlined in a blog post on the museum’s website.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I was able to finish a whole box file of labels which needed scanning and cataloguing on the online database, and I helped with research regarding the cataloguing project which lightened the workload of my colleagues and ensured that anyone seeking information about the objects would find a comprehensive description of them with links to related objects at the museum, as well as the sources that could provide further data.

What skills were you able to develop through the internship?

Teamwork and collaboration, customer service, focus on goals and outcomes

What attributes were you able to develop through the internship?

Initiative, independence, work ethic, professionalism

Employment Services Administrator – Career Zone, Exeter

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What were your main duties and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

Over the course of my internship I had several  responsibilities. At the beginning of the internship I helped to process intern contracts, inputting student and employer information and making sure that our records were up to date. I also ran finance reports, and made sure that the information in our finance spreadsheets matched expenditure. In the second half of my internship I was responsible for organising a careers event for CEMPs students. This involved shortlisting potential employers based in the South West, and getting in contact with them via email and telephone to encourage them to sign up to the event. Whilst doing this, I marketed the event to students via social media, targeted emails, and through student societies. I was also responsible for making sure that facilities were booked for the day of the event.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

Organising the careers event for CEMPs students. I became much more confident speaking to external contacts after inviting employers to the event and providing them with further details about the event. I also gained new skills in areas that I previously had limited experience in such as digital marketing, through marketing the event to students.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I helped to streamline the processing of intern information during the busy period before Christmas, which meant that departments and employers were able to employ student and graduate interns quickly and easily. I also helped to make sure that the finances were accurate, as I was able to check them more frequently. Finally, I organised the careers event for CEMPs students, which my manager would not have been able to organise alongside their other responsibilities.

“He has been an excellent team player, very hardworking, flexible and reliable for the 3 months he was with us. He has been involved in calling employers about attending an event, writing promotional text to send to students and drawing up an action plan list. He also helped prepare GBP and SCP contracts and worked on finance.  Having him in the office really helped us get on top of the workload.” – Line Manager.