Never have 3 months gone as fast as they did during my internship at Visit London, but they do say time flies when you are having fun and that is most certainly what I was doing.
I had an amazing time as an Editorial Intern, not only was I working for a fantastic company, but got to have some incredible experiences; being a zookeeper for the day and seeing Beyonce to name a couple. Plus, I got to visit some great places in London, such as Kew Gardens, Buckingham Palace and the London Dungeons… and best of all I got to write about it.
Unfortunately one negative of an internship is that it has to come to an end, but here are 5 invaluable things I learnt whilst there:
1 – London is the best city on Earth
I have always loved London and known that I would like to move and work here one day; it is such a culturally diverse city, where a wealth of history sits alongside the modern. A unique and vibrant place with so much to see and do. Visit London portrays this and provides you with the means to fully plan your time in London whether coming from abroad and knowing nothing about the city, to living here and finding out what there is to do at the weekend.
2 – There are paid internships
Before I got this internship I went for several interviews for unpaid work, which as great as the jobs sounded there was no way I could afford to travel into London to do. I think the media industry can take advantage of us needing to gain experience and you can end up being used as cheap/free labour to do the jobs no one else wants to do. Not at Visit London. Here you are paid for your work, and feel like one of the team for the duration of the internship, gaining real experience of what it would be like to work there.
3- I love writing
Not that I didn’t know this already of course… but when faced with day after day of constant job application, followed by rejection, and the sole purpose of life is to get any job to earn money, it can be easy to lose sight of your passion. Visit London has helped me regain this, and confirmed for me that this is most definitely the career path I want to follow.
4- Internships are invaluable
I worried, at nearly 25, I was too old to be doing an internship. I think it is something you associate with doing straight out of school or university, not after you have already had a job. However, following the completion of my internship I believe they are something you can do at any age. Internships allow you to gain valuable experience in different areas and really add to a CV. Plus, if you don’t like it or you realise that would not be the job for you then it is not forever. If like me you love it you won’t want to leave.
5- Essential skills
Last, but most certainly not least, (and perhaps technically most important) I’ve learnt new skills and expanded old skills, which will be invaluable to me in my future career. A notable experience, in which I learnt new skills, was creating a video (Top London Attractions for Kids) which I had never done before. Whilst challenging, I felt a real sense of achievement when it was completed.
If you have been inspired by my time at Visit London (and I don’t know why you wouldn’t be…) check out the London and Partners careers page for job and internship opportunities.
