I am sure you are already aware that trying to figure out internships in the midst of university is not a wholly enjoyable experience. The stress of writing cover letter after cover letter and completing one million online “logic tests” is a never-ending and seemingly fruitless process, with a pool of thousands of applicants all over the UK. That’s why I opted to do an internship with the university in the summer of 2022: I worked with the Estates Team as the “Sustainability Marketing Intern” for 6 weeks. Even though I had no idea it was an option before I discovered the programme, I definitely think it’s an internship other students should consider.
The university only allows second year students to participate in the internship programme which is a major plus considering most UK companies only offer internships to third year students. It was a big comfort to me knowing that my competition was fellow second years, and the amount of people I was competing against was significantly lower than it would’ve been elsewhere. I was allowed to submit applications to 3 different internships, with the process itself being incredibly professional: CV submission, a cover letter for each position, and an online interview if the application was successful. Having never had any application or interview experience before, this process was a great introduction on how and what to do. The Career Centre actually offers help with your application and CV, which I didn’t take up, but it is yet another way this whole process is made welcoming for an inexperienced second year.
The internship itself was also a great introduction to the professional world, toned down for a student. Since my role was with the Estates Team, I got to work in Walter Bower House at Eden Campus which is the main administrative office for the university. Being in the office with engineers, project managers and specialists made me feel quite sophisticated, and all of them were friendly and welcoming. I also had the option to work from home some days (which I definitely took advantage of), so in all, the working environment was great. Although there were broad guidelines for my 6 weeks of work, what I did and how I went about it was mostly up to me. I had weekly check-ins and the chance to speak to my supervisor when I needed to, but a lot of trust was put into my ability to produce a final result, which, in turn, made me feel professional and accomplished.
The experience, however, had one main negative: staying in St Andrews over the summer can get kinda lonely. Although there were some attempts to create communication channels for interns across departments, no one ever used them. The Career Centre never organised any intern socials which made it hard to find out who I could hang out with outside of work. This might have been due to transitioning from Covid regulations as well as the fact that different students were joining the programme at different times so it was hard to organise. Nevertheless, it would have been nice to have some social aspect to the programme. I was lucky enough to have 2 other interns on my team and I pushed myself to message other 2nd years I happened to know were also doing the programme. But even then, without an accessible network of other interns, my summer in St Andrews felt isolating at times.
If you’re a second year and don’t know what to do about an internship, the university’s internship programme is a great place to find experience in both the application process and working in a professional environment. The social aspect is definitely something to keep in mind, but I’m sure this is something that will differ based on personal preferences and circumstances. Applications last year didn’t go out until early Spring, so keep your eyes open for emails from the Career Centre!