I wanted to increase my employability for when I start applying for jobs after I graduate from university next year. My main reason for pursuing an internship was to gain work experience in the field of marketing. I also wanted to come and see South Africa and learn about the culture here and I had heard Cape Town is known for its beautiful scenery so I wanted to come and experience that!
I wanted to do an internship focused on marketing and advertising to gain experience in digital marketing specifically.
It was really good! I really enjoyed interning at the digital marketing agency I was placed in, especially because of the people I was working with. My colleagues were so friendly and made my work environment really enjoyable. They even showed me around Cape Town which I really appreciated. The work was quite intense in terms of the amount I had to do- I had deadlines everyday but they did provide me with a lot of training so I learnt so much. I quickly got used to the fast paced environment and actually it turned out to be a positive thing that I had so much to do because I learnt way more than I thought I would.
Yes definitely I feel like I developed some really important marketing skills which will benefit me in the future. I also feel that my writing skills improved hugely throughout my internship. I did loads of research and I was writing articles every day so my proof reading and general writing definitely got better. I received a lot of guidance in terms of how to improve my content writing too which was really helpful.
Definitely! I was given a really important role because I had to do all the content copy writing for the digital marketing agency. I was the only person doing that at the time and I had to do SEO on all of my articles too which was quite challenging at first. I learnt so much though so I am really pleased I was given such important responsibilities. I was also given so much guidance from my supervisor Tamara- she was amazing. I could always go to her to ask for help and she was a great mentor to have.
My main fear was travelling by myself because I had never done it before so it was quite a big deal for me. Having you and Julian here to reassure me the whole time, and just knowing you were only a phone call away if I ever needed you, made such a difference to me. I never would have done this without Bridging Gaps! I also had amazing housemates while I was here so that really helped because I never actually had to do anything on my own during my time in Cape Town. I always had people to go out for dinner with and do things on the weekend with which I loved. I made great friends from all over the world! I had also heard that Cape Town wasn’t the safest of places so I was quite concerned about that before I arrived. I was very aware of my surroundings when I first arrived and was very vigilant. However, actually after spending a month here I have realised that safety really isn’t a huge issue- I have actually never felt unsafe which surprised me. I mean I didn’t go out exploring the city on my own very much, but that’s just me as a person, but being worried about my safety didn’t affect my time here at all.
Oh it is so beautiful here! The vibe of the city is amazing and all the people here are really friendly and helpful- everyone wants you to have a good time here. South African culture has been amazing to experience I have really enjoyed learning about it. I definitely want to come back here for a holiday in the summer time and bring my friends so they can see the mountains and the beaches, they would love it! It is such a beautiful place.
Oh yes definitely. I was given so much information on safety and things to do here when I first arrived. The orientation was great and the pack you gave me really helped me during my first week. You definitely gave me everything I needed. The only thing I wasn’t so prepared for was how cold it can get here during the night time!
Oh I loved it! I really enjoyed the weekly social events and I really appreciated how often you were in contact with me to make sure everything was going well and I was enjoying myself and my internship. I felt like I could contact you or Julian whenever I needed to which made me feel really safe and comfortable here. Even when I cut my foot late at night you were the first person I messaged and you came to help me straight away which was so great. It really put my mind at ease being here on a programme rather than being by myself. Also, the fact that you are from the UK really helped me. I felt I could immediately relate to you and talk to you about anything. When I first talked to you over skype even before I got to Cape Town, I immediately felt comfortable just because of who you are as a person- you’re very friendly! So this put my mind at ease during the lead up to my trip and especially during my first few days in Cape Town.
Oh yes definitely. I was given so much information on safety and things to do here when I first arrived. The orientation was great and the pack you gave me really helped me during my first week. You definitely gave me everything I needed. The only thing I wasn’t so prepared for was how cold it can get here during the night time!
Definitely! I have already had a few people from university asking how I came to Cape Town to do an internship and I have told them about you so you may have some more of my friends from Manchester coming soon!
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Advertising, branding
Digital Marketing
Internal Communications
Market Research