“A really productive and proactive week, our intern was able to take a fresh look at our digital communications and social media presence and give constructive feedback. “

How did hosting an intern via the Professional Pathways programme benefit you and your organisation?

A really productive and proactive week, our intern was able to take a fresh look at our digital communications and social media presence and give constructive feedback.  They also carried out some invaluable research into different market sectors, areas of which we might not have explored ourselves.

How was your experience of hosting a remote working intern?

Really positive, the intern had a good work ethic, great autonomy, and was able to understand the objectives set and work effectively remotely. We set up good communication channels from the get-go, so we were able to keep in touch daily on progress and barriers.

Given the Professional Pathways internship is 35 hours in total, how would you recommend ensuring both you and your intern(s) gain as much as possible from the experience?

Make sure you establish two or three objectives beforehand on what you would like the intern to achieve, whilst also leaving room for them to offer some objectives of their own.  We gave our intern as much information about our charity as possible beforehand, along with the objectives and plan for the first day.  We then had an open discussion on the first day on what the intern was looking to achieve during their 35 hours and what we as a charity would like to achieve at the end of the week.  This open process created positivity and enthusiasm, we explored the areas the intern would like to learn more about based on their experience and future aspirations.  The intern met others in the organisation that were of interest to them, gaining a broader perspective of the not-for-profit sector.