The Micro-Internship Experience

Oxford student Anna Barona completed a Sponsorship Research micro-internship with The Institute of Conservation in Hilary term 2022. 

What project did you work on during your micro-internship? 

I worked on a sponsorship research programme for Icon. Icon is the professional body for conservators in the UK, operating as a charity. This means that most of their revenue comes from membership fees, sponsorships, and grants. At the moment, Icon is looking to improve its sponsorship strategy and my internship was focused on generating leads for potential sponsors that Icon could approach. Icon decided to focus on companies that hold a Royal Warrant, as they may already have an awareness of conservation; work with historical objects/buildings; and their values may be well-aligned with those of Icon. My task was to research these companies (compiling my research into a spreadsheet) and put together a shortlist of promising leads. 

What are the lasting impressions of your micro-internship?

I really enjoyed my micro-internship. It gave me a great 'behind the scenes' insight into the workings of a small charity in the heritage sector, and I gained useful business awareness from my research into Royal Warrant Holder companies (I looked at aspects such as corporate social responsibility statements, financial statements, general information about the company and their sector, etc.). At the moment, I do not wish to go into the heritage / non-profit sector, and am instead looking to gain experience in a 'for-profit' sector such as management consulting first. However, I do wish to go into a heritage / non-profit area at a later stage, and this internship straddled my two career interests in a great way! 

What advice would you give to future micro-interns? 

Be really pro-active, and make this internship your own. Not only will this make it a more rewarding experience personally (and for your CV), but it can also mean that you make a more interesting contribution to the organisation you're working with. 

Oxford student Frances Dowle completed a Publishing Assistant micro-internship with Gibson Square Books in Hilary term 2022. 

What project did you work on during your micro-internship? 

The publisher was in the process of fast-tracking a book about Ukraine, so it was very hands on. I gained both editorial and publicity experience -- I helped edit the manuscript and discussed potential selling points of the book. Martin was incredibly helpful and encouraging -- he gave me extensive feedback on each task I completed, and lots of great career advice. 

What are the lasting impressions of your micro-internship?

Completing the micro-internship has confirmed to me I'd definitely like to pursue a career in publishing. It also gave me a much clearer idea of some of the different aspects of publishing -- previously I'd been interested in going into publicity, but I found the editorial tasks much more enjoyable, so I think that's what I'm going to go for now. 

What advice would you give to future micro-interns? 

The internship was much more hands on than I expected -- I was given responsibilities very quickly. Martin said this wouldn't normally be quite so much the case (the particular project we were working on required the company to work at speed) but even still, it was a good lesson in trusting my own judgement and building confidence! 

Oxford student Karl Reimand completed a Tiny Forest Data Scientist micro-internship with Earthwatch Europe in Hilary term 2022. 

What project did you work on during your micro-internship? 

I helped to develop an Excel tool to help speed up the tree selection process for the Tiny Forest programme. This involved adapting and automatising pre-existing tree selection methodologies and decision-making processes on Excel. 

What are the lasting impressions of your micro-internship?

I enjoyed the project a lot, since it matched well with my main field of interest in computational methods in ecology and conservation. I also got to learn more advanced methods on Excel, which can always come in handy. The people at Earthwatch were very helpful and approachable throughout the week, and the working environment was in general was amazing. Overall, the internship confirmed that I'm moving in the right direction with my career goals. 

What advice would you give to future micro-interns? 

Make sure that your internship host has a good plan for the week. In case of my internship, everything was very well planned, including 15-minute catch-ups and problem-solving sessions every morning in addition to other daily meetings. However, if that's not the case, I'd recommend asking your host for more contact or specific targets throughout the week so that you can make the most of it! 

Oxford student Katie Banks completed a Brand Conscience Sustainability Research Assistant: Materials Swaps for Consumer Goods Industries micro-internship with Brand Conscience in Hilary term 2022. 

What project did you work on during your micro-internship? 

I was tasked with researching the most sustainable materials for kitchenware, including chopping boards and kitchen utensils. This also involved researching different brands who used sustainable materials, and analysing which brand did this the best, and which ones didn't do so well, and may have an aspect of greenwashing. To draw together my research, I then had to come to a conclusion as to which materials and brands to recommend to a consumer. 

What are the lasting impressions of your micro-internship? 

I thoroughly enjoyed this micro-internship. It gave me an in-depth insight into the sustainability of the retail sector, and I learnt a lot about what companies may do to greenwash consumers. This really opened my eyes to the nature of the industry and is something that I will be cautious of going forward when making my own consumer choices. As an increasing number of companies have sustainability at the top of their agenda, it has definitely made me consider this sector for my future career. 

What advice would you give to future micro-interns? 

Be open-minded and willing to learn and adapt to any situation. In this micro-internship, I was given a lot of freedom as to what to research, so let your own interests and passions guide you. 

Oxford student Lucia Henwood completed a Digital Reading Project Assistant micro-internship with LitHits in Hilary term 2022. 

What projects did you work on during your micro-internship? 

I worked on two sides of LitHits' activities. The first half of the week was spent doing research into different newsletters and how they work - I created a presentation evaluating some of the newsletters I read and did some research into a poetry newsletter. The second half of the week was spent looking into how LitHits could be used to aid learning in schools - I created a presentation on possible links between LitHits and the English curriculum, as well as sample newsletters to show the kinds of resources which could be sent to teachers. 

What are the lasting impressions of your micro-internship? 

I had a wonderful time on the micro-internship! It was a very enjoyable week and the rest of the team were so kind, helpful and supportive! I was given interesting, stimulating things to work on and a good level of responsibility which meant I gained a lot from the week! I didn't choose the micro-internship because I was planning to go into the sector but because I thought the project sounded interesting. Although I'm still not considering the sector for my future career, the internship still taught me new skills, helping me to look at things I read in a new light and improving my written communication for different audiences. 

What advice would you give to future micro-interns? 

Try something new! The micro-internship programme is a great way of exploring new sectors and learning about industries you haven't considered before! There's such a wide range of opportunities out there, many of them unique to the programme, so it's good to try something unusual or different. I would also recommend looking into the industry as much as possible ahead of the micro-internship and coming to the start of the week with some questions or ideas. Also take up any opportunity to try a range of tasks and prioritise that over getting a comprehensive sense of one area of the company - you're only there for a week so your employers aren't expecting you to finish a massive project, so take it as a learning experience and be willing to share ideas. I'd also suggest applying for micro-internships at small organisations - there you can get the best sense of their activities and contribute the most. 

Oxford student Olivia Downes completed a Publishing Assistant micro-internship with Gibson Square in Hilary term 2022. 

What project did you work on during your micro-internship? 

The publisher was in the process of fast-tracking a book about Ukraine, so it was very hands on. I gained both editorial and publicity experience -- I helped edit the manuscript, and discussed potential selling points of the book. Martin was incredibly helpful and encouraging -- he gave me extensive feedback on each task I completed, and lots of great career advice. 

What are the lasting impressions of your micro-internship? 

Completing the micro-internship has confirmed to me I'd definitely like to pursue a career in publishing. It also gave me a much clearer idea of some of the different aspects of publishing -- previously I'd been interested in going into publicity, but I found the editorial tasks much more enjoyable, so I think that's what I'm going to go for now. 

What advice would you give to future micro-interns? 

The internship was much more hands on than I expected -- I was given responsibilities very quickly. Martin said this wouldn't normally be quite so much the case (the particular project we were working on required the company to work at speed) but even still, it was a good lesson in trusting my own judgement and building confidence! 

Oxford student Poppy Little-Jones completed a content and web accessibility micro-internship with TORCH in Trinity term 2022. 

What project did you work on during your micro-internship? 

I cannot thank TORCH enough for such an informative and enjoyable week! Completing Silktide training, learning more about WCAG 2.1 standards and then applying this knowledge to the Oxford Mosaic website was invaluable experience. Amending the subtitles of TORCH's interdisciplinary talks/events was a real joy - meeting access requirements while immersing myself in convos surrounding '60s rock albums ('It Sings Therefore We Are: Philosophy and Music in Conversation') was a win-win! Alongside this, fixing broken links/editing hyperlinked text, amending/updating People Pages, correcting grammar & adding Alt text to images was all important work that I found very fulfilling. 

What are the lasting impressions of your micro-internship? 

It was a perfect week in terms of providing knowledge and experience, and I certainly feel that pursuing a career in comms/web design/ web accessibility could be a way forward for me. I feel incredibly grateful to have been welcomed in so warmly by the team. 

What advice would you give to future micro-interns? 

Be kind to yourself - the micro-internships take place at the end of Oxfords incredibly busy terms (in weeks 9 or 10), make sure you take care of yourself to ensure you don’t burnout!