Here at IFF, we believe that paid internships provide a great opportunity to gain skills in a real-world environment and offer that all important experience to help people secure meaningful work in their futures. Internships also help break down barriers to entry in a sector which struggles with diversity and representation from minority groups and from different socio-economic backgrounds. We were delighted, therefore, to have the opportunity to partner with the 10,000 Interns Foundation again this year, on their 10,000 Black Interns programme. The programme provides paid internships for Black students and graduates, with the goal of promoting equality, opportunities and representation for minority groups in businesses within the UK.
To find out more, we recently sat down with one of our summer interns, Shantelle, to reflect on her experience at IFF over the past 10 weeks, and on her internship experience. Here’s what she had to say….
Shantelle, could you tell us about your internship at IFF?
My internship at IFF was an incredibly insightful experience. I had meetings with various people in different roles at IFF which gave me an idea of the types of positions available within social research. I was given various tasks to complete for different research projects which enhanced my knowledge on different research methods. I also had the chance to participate in internal training sessions. I regularly attended ‘Food for Thought’ sessions, where staff would present interesting research projects in group learning sessions.
I had the chance to do my own Food for Thought session about my undergraduate dissertation which looked at the ethnic differences of welfare attitudes in the UK. Everyone that attended gave me such positive feedback from my presentation and they all had great questions after which showed they really engaged with it. I received a lot of guidance from my line manager which was so helpful. Being at IFF also showed me that it is possible to have a relaxed working environment and healthy office culture. I noticed this especially in a Team Day I participated in where IFF hosted a sports day and lunch for the team. This was so much fun and a great bonding experience with all the team.
Overall, the internship was a great experience and has given me guidance into what the next steps will be in my career.
Why do you think it is important for agencies like IFF to offer internships?
In university we learn so much but do not really get the opportunity to apply it outside of completing assignments. We’re constantly told nowadays that a degree is not enough so to be given the opportunity to gain professional experience even for a short period of time is so valuable. An internship also allows the students/graduates a chance to get a taste of a career they want to pursue – I think it is so easy to create an image of what a specific job is like but be surprised at what the role is actually like!
What interested you in a research internship?
I graduated from the University of Manchester with a degree in Sociology and Politics. During my degree I completed a module that looked at surveys and used SPSS to analyse the data from the surveys. I really enjoyed this module especially using SPSS, which led to me thinking I would love to gain some more experience in social research especially quantitative research. I learnt about the 10,000 Interns programme through my friends in university. After going through the recruitment process at IFF, I was able to secure a position for the summer.
What have you learned during the internship?
At IFF I learned the importance of teamwork. Each member of the team has a role that they perform and communicate with others on the team on their progress. It was a great skill to learn because it made me appreciate how necessary it is to stay in communication with people in your team.
I also developed my communication skills. This was essential to learn as sometimes it can be difficult to ask for help when you need it or extensions, especially as an intern! This eased any stress or anxiety I would have around not completing something in the time frame assigned.
What was your favourite part of the internship/what did you enjoy the most?
My favourite part of the internship was the training sessions. Each session taught a new skill as well as gave the chance to apply the skill in a real-world scenario. For example, I attended a training session that looked at qualitative analysis. During the session we were taught what qualitative analysis is and what it consists of, we were then given an activity to complete. This was a great session because I didn’t leave just knowing what qualitative analysis is but also how it works in practice.
How do you think this internship will help you in your future career?
This internship helped me to understand if social research is really for me and what specifically I would like to focus on in social research. I can say that now coming to the end of it I know I still want to pursue a career in social research but still want to learn more about it. I am doing a Master’s in Social Research Methods and Statistics this coming September and hope to complete a PHD after that. This internship has reaffirmed to me that I still want to continue with learning more social research methods. It has also shown me that I want to focus on research on BAME groups and disadvantaged groups.
Would you recommend this type of internship?
I would recommend this type of internship to people interested in social research or have just finished a social science degree. I never thought I would be interested in research, but once I completed a social research module in university, I discovered that there is a side of research dedicated to social topics. This internship then enabled me to further explore this and see how social research unfolds in real life.
In conclusion
We’re delighted that Shantelle enjoyed her time with us here at IFF, and a special thanks to her for sharing her experiences with us. To find out more about our company culture and what it’s like to work with us, check out IFF Life. If you fancy joining us, we’d love to hear from you – take a look at our current vacancies.
You can also visit their website to learn more about the 10,000 Interns programme.