So who am I? I am a recent graduate of German and Czech at the University of Bristol, which means I am a native English speaker with a decent command of Czech. I am a repeat offender at Best, having undertaken my first taste of work here in August of last year when I only lasted two weeks. This time round I am in for the long haul, going head long into my fifth week, so I feel qualified to give some analysis of the situation of the intern.
 |
| Monday morning at Best |
I can bust the myth that interns are forced to make coffee and do busy work, I actually do not even know how to work the coffee machine (I am not even sure I know where the coffee machine is). Last year I was drafted in to research social media across the world and to create a foundation of knowledge for a particular project that I have joined onto again this year.
The atmosphere at Best is different to what I had previously experienced in previous offices. It is difficult to describe it, when you walk in the office it is very quiet and everyone is working with the clatter of keyboards being the predominant noise. Despite this whenever someone enters the door a cheery “ahoj!” or “morning!” is exchanged. Once everyone is at their desks the radio is switched on. Some people work with headphones in, others (ok, just me) tend to have a bag of sweets (or occasionally something healthier) next to them but the most common work accessory is a massive mug of coffee. Working at Best was the first time I had worked in an office and actually enjoyed what I was doing.
 |
| Eventually I found the coffee machine :-) |
This year I have been drafted in on a top secret project that has spawned some interesting experiences. I have travelled around the Czech Republic interviewing various artists, I have been to my first gallery opening and I have an app on my phone that has not been released yet, so that I can test it. I have been given control of a couple of social media platforms and have even started to tweet, which was a big step for me, but ultimately necessary for someone who wants to get into PR, (that is a confession, twitter and I have never seen eye to eye. I have seen it as a necessary evil but slowly it is changing my mind.)
 |
| This summer I tweeted my very first tweet... |
The office releases a lot of press releases written in English, and despite the Czech members of the office English being nothing short of excellent, having a native speaker look over a text makes a good deal of sense. I really enjoy translation and my experience teaching English in Austria on my year abroad means I am able to not only check a document and make some changes, but I can also add an explanation as to why something is wrong, or more importantly, when something is right, but it is not what a native speaker would say. So far my explanations have been well received, I hope!
 |
| The best summer experience at Best! |
I have enjoyed my work at Best so much that I am starting a career in PR in London in September. While I am very mindful that my bosses are reading this it is true that the atmosphere and the variety of work I have had to opportunity to do here at Best has been by far the best experience I have had working and influenced my decision when I was applying for jobs earlier in the year. In one day here I can be trying to increase a client's twitter following, researching film festivals in Europe, filming an interview and then finishing the day off by checking over an app on my phone. The variety of the work load is handy for someone who struggles to get through a Facebook status. Really being an intern here has had a massive positive impact on the rest of my life.
No comments:
Post a Comment