From February 2023 until June 2023, I undertook an internship with my university. I truly feel like it was such a rewarding experience for me and therefore I would like to share it with you all. Without further ado, let’s get to it!
What was my internship?
So my internship was looking at access to social welfare law advice in communities. Essentially, I was a part of a research project being completed by 2 lecturers at Bangor and a variety of other academics around the country. The research project looked at four areas around the UK and how their communities access social welfare law advice.
The four areas were Anglesey, Rochdale, Hackney and Dartmouth. I was tasked with looking at Anglesey and Hackney closely whilst another intern looked at Rochdale and Dartmouth. I did lots of research on my two areas which was really interesting.
I also had the opportunity to attend meetings with everyone working on the research project. The majority of the meetings were done virtually and I found it really interesting to see a research project at the beginning.
The application process
The first stage of applying for my internship was filling out an application form. This was a simple form that asked the standard questions such as name, degree, etc. However, there was also a personal statement I had to write with some guidance.
Please explain fully how you fit the person specification criteria outlined on the internship description, what you would like to gain from the internship, and how the internship fits with your career plans.
I was then invited to attend an interview with the two lecturers at my university involved in the research project. I remember this interview very well. It was conducted over Microsoft teams but I felt so poorly! I had a massive glass of water next to me that I had to keep drinking from and my brain felt so foggy. To say I was pleased to be offered the internship was an understatement!
The pros of the internship
The first pro to this internship was how personal it felt to me. I have been in a position where my family have had to seek social welfare law advice. I have also been in a position where I’ve given social welfare law advice when I volunteered at Citizens Advice. In addition, being relevant to law was always going to appeal to me and my degree.
Another pro to my internship was the opportunity to go to London. I’ve already mentioned that I attended meetings virtually. However, on one occasion, my lecturer invited me to attend a meeting in London! I got to go the night before and stay in a hotel and then we went to the Nuffield Foundation offices. We met a lot of people who were able to give some feedback on a questionnaire the group were working on at the time. It was such a wonderful opportunity.
Being able to meet new people was another pro to my internship. Everyone in the research project was so warm and welcoming. Of course, having my internship being a paid internship is an added bonus.
The cons of the internship
My main issue with the internship is it wasn’t long enough! I had so much fun being a part of this research project. It definitely taught me what it’s like to be an academic which I really like.
Overall, I had an absolute blast in my internship. I’m so thankful to my university and my lecturers for allowing me to be a part of something so intriguing and fascinating!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post and I will see you tomorrow for another blog post.
Beth
Beth Olivia 