USA Summer Camps Information Session took place on the 25th January 2023.
Summer Camp in America is the ultimate work and travel experience. Work your dream job and travel America. Unleash Your Potential.
Here is the Top 4 Takeaways from this session:
Queen’s student Claire McGurk completed an internship with INTO Queen’s as part of the Working Globally from NI programme. Read how she got on and apply here.
The global organisation felt like a family
INTO QUB is part of a wider worldwide network, with many similar education centres across the world. It provides a stepping stone for students to attain the qualifications necessary for university, with classes delivered in a similar format to those in university. INTO also assists international students to develop their English language ability before commencing university. To me, INTO QUB has the same friendly atmosphere and community feeling as a school. As well as achieving academic goals, the students were provided with many opportunities to socialise and develop friendships.
I boosted my CV
The application process for the internship made me focus on improving my CV and developing my interview skills. This will be of great assistance when applying for placements next year in Spain. Ciaran McMullan in the Placement Office was particularly helpful and gave me some great tips on improving my CV.
I gained office experience
I gained useful experience of what an office based workplace will be like once I graduate from university. Key to this was regular communication with team members, with daily meetings and clarification of the tasks I was to complete. Of particular value was the regular use of Excel and Canva, allowing me to increase my skills in the practical use of these packages. Above all, I was made to feel very welcome and was given structured tasks to complete with both clear direction in advance and helpful feedback upon completion. I was very lucky to have had Ciara Murray as my mentor, as well as working alongside Javlan and Sulekchya.
I got hands-on experience
One of my main tasks during my internship was to organise a Graduation Reception for all the INTO students graduating from QUB this year. I drew up and issued the invitations; sourced and ordered decorations, food and merchandise for the event. We got a strong turnout, and everyone had a great day. It was clear that for the graduates, their time in INTO had been a key part of their QUB experience. I was really impressed with the teachers and the student support services staff. It was clear that there was a strong bond between the students and their teachers and support staff at INTO.
The work was fun
I was also fortunate to take part in in several other events at the centre, including a poster presentation day; bingo; a campus tour and a garden party. I really enjoyed working on a script for a ‘Day in the life’.
Joining INTO as an intern for a month was a very positive experience and I am grateful to both INTO and to the Global Opportunities Team for this fantastic opportunity.
To find out more about Working Globally from NI.
Businesses Management student Rosie Alexander completed a virtual internship with Mourne Dew Distillery as part of our Working Globally from NI programme. Here is how she got on.
In June, I started a marketing internship with the local spirits company Mourne Dew. I was excited to get started as I knew the experience was going to be insightful and beneficial. As a first-year student, this opportunity has afforded me the ability to discover where my passions lie and gain experience in an area in which I have an interest.
Researching the company
Before beginning my internship, I was impressed to learn about the story of Mourne Dew and the multi-award winning gins, whiskeys, vodkas and poitíns they produce. Based in Warrenpoint, Mourne Dew is inspired by the essence of the Mournes, infusing their drinks with botanical flavours to create a unique taste. I was really interested in this company due to their values of tradition and pride for the island of Ireland, as well as their commitment to quality. Working for an up-and-coming local company interested me greatly and I was excited to be gaining some insight into the marketing side of things.
My first campaign
The majority of my internship has been remote as I live quite far from the distillery. In my first week, I was introduced to the team and learnt about the different projects Mourne Dew have been working on. I got stuck in with tasks such as finding new accounts, working on current campaigns, such as the Fathers’ Day competition and communicating with partners to help promote Mourne Dew’s products. I was especially interested in social media marketing and took charge of the LinkedIn account. This responsibility allowed me to be creative and I really enjoyed thinking up different campaigns and posts. Another task that interested me was looking into the distillery’s international presence, as they are beginning to expand into Europe, the USA and Asia. It was exciting to progress on international plans as I could see the business’ growth.
On the road
A few times I got to go on the road with Neil Fleming, the Sales and Marketing Executive. This allowed me to see how sales and distribution works and I enjoyed meeting Mourne Dew’s contacts. It was great to see the products physically and I learned so much about how a small but growing business is run. I especially enjoyed our sales pitch at the Northern Lights Bar, as I was able to find out a lot about the different types of drinks that Mourne Dew produces and what makes them so unique.
Visiting the distillery
In addition, I was able to visit the distillery itself in Warrenpoint. It was fascinating to watch the distillation process of the gins, vodkas, whiskeys and poitíns, and I loved smelling all the botanical ingredients that infuse the drinks. It was interesting to see that each batch is made by a recipe by hand, and each part of the process, from distilling to bottling and packaging, happens in the one place. It was also lovely to meet all the team, including Donal and Noel (the owners), Lydia (who does social media and photography) and Donal and Tag (who work in the production process). I also met the other intern Claire, who I had been working with remotely for 3 weeks of my internship.
An amazing insight
Working with Neil these past 4 weeks has been invaluable, and I have learned so much about both marketing and how a local distillery is run. I have thoroughly enjoyed every second of this internship and would encourage anyone considering a programme like this to go for it! It has truly solidified my future vision of working in marketing and I have made some friends and connections along the way. I have gained amazing experience and insight and will miss my time at Mourne Dew greatly.
Apply for Working Globally from NI. Find more internship and work experience opportunities, visit MyFuture.
Naren Boddeda, a second year BSc Computer Science student completed a four-week internship with Queen’s International Office as part of our Working Globally from NI Internship Programme. Here is how she got on.
Gaining experience from India
After my first year, I wanted some hands-on experience with working for an organization and gaining some experience in my field, so I decided to do a summer internship. But because of the Covid 19 situation and the travel restrictions, I was in India and needed to find an internship that could be done remotely.
The Working Globally from NI- Internship Programme was the ideal choice for me. It is a summer internship that could be completed from anywhere in the world and, I felt, it is a nice opportunity to gain valuable experience in the early stage of my degree. Working online was something new and I was looking forward to it.
Playing to my strengths
I got an internship offer from the International Office. During my interview, I mentioned I completed the module on databases and would like to gain some experience in that therefore I was given a project related to it for my internship. Before the internship started, the Global Opportunities team had set up a call with me and they briefed all the important details regarding the internship.
It was four weeks long and each week I was given specific tasks. There was no stringent pressure of deadlines and the international office had wonderful people to work with. I was given two mentors to help me catch up with my work and reach out if I had any queries. I had catch-up calls, in MS Teams, twice a week with my mentors. For the first week, I was given an introduction to my work and, also some time to settle in. I started my data analysis project in the second week. It was nice to work with real-world situations and complete impactful projects. I also had a group project with a few other interns to review new campaigns, which was a nice online collaborative session. Every week I had something new to do and I had a steady amount to workload. I also got an insight into how the international office in Queen’s functions. Overall, it was a great experience and gave a head-start to my career.
Looking to build up work experience over the summer? Visit MyFuture and search work experience opportunities today.
Olivia Anderson, an International Business with German graduate completed a four-week internship with Queen’s International Office as part of our Working Globally from NI Internship Programme. Here is how she got on.
This summer I had the great opportunity of completing a 4-week internship with the International Office at QUB. I applied for this at the end of my final year as I wanted to gain some experience in this area over the summer before moving on from university. When I saw the opportunities available in this internship programme I wanted to apply as I thought it would be interesting to be able to work on projects with a global perspective right here from Northern Ireland.
The application process involved an application form and then a video call interview which already enabled me to develop my skills in these areas.
Although 4 weeks sounds like a very short time, and I was wondering how I would be able to get involved in projects within this timeframe, there was no need to worry. The internship was very much tailored to my interests and skills and the projects that I was involved in were genuinely interesting. I got to work on some research projects and do some competitor analysis as well as write blogs and think about how QUB is being marketed to students internationally and how this can be improved. It was so valuable to gain these skills and insights into how to carry these out and how the university attracts students from all over the world.
Working in a virtual team
I also got the opportunity to connect with two other interns who were international students from China and India, and we worked on reviewing some of the university’s marketing material together. This was great to understand each other’s perspectives on how Queen’s is perceived.
Before beginning my internship, I was unsure how it would be structured as I was working from home, however there were multiple calls per week with my supervisor with clear guidance on the projects and what they would like to be achieved by the end of the internship. This helped to clear up any questions and give some interaction where it could have been quite isolated.
What I really enjoyed about this internship programme was that the projects that were given to us were challenging enough that I was being pushed and developing new skills while also being given guidance and help and being able to change the scope of the projects along the way to suit my interests and skills.
I am so glad I got accepted to this internship programme and would encourage anyone to apply and gain some great experience over summer which you will be able to carry forward with you into your future studies and career.
Keep an eye on our events website for details of upcoming internship opportunities and funded programmes.