What do you want to do when you grow up?
I still don't know the answer to that question, if it's any consolation. I'm not entirely sure the work experience placements I did at school and uni really helped steer me on this either, but they did provide useful insight into what other people did day in day out, Monday to Friday. Can't say it inspired me all that much though!
Work experience in marketing and PR
Here at Coconut we welcome school and college students for a week at a time to experience what working life is like, with us anyway. You'll be treated like any other member of the team. That means you'll have a laptop, you'll asked to contribute to team tasks, to planning and creative ideas, to research for media pitches, to content for client websites, blogs and news outlets. We won't ask you to make the tea, but we will expect you to make yourself at home and part of the team, so if you're thirsty feel free to ask anyone else if they'd like a drink too.
We'll sign your timesheet, tick boxes for your tutors and give you feedback on your work. We'll also ask you to write about your time with us, so that other future work placement students can hear how it was, from the horse's mouth. We might even invite you back!
Read what Isabella had to say about work experience at Coconut
PR and communications internships
Does your university course require you to complete an internship as part of your degree? Or have you already graduated and are looking for a paid internship to help bolster your CV?
Either way, an internship at Coconut PR will put you at the coalface of modern day PR. We're a boutique PR and communications agency in South Oxfordshire specialising in travel and hospitality. That means we have clients including accommodation providers, restaurants, hotels, bars and drinks products.
There is no typical day in the non-stop world of PR. But our interns work as part of the team, learning on the job, liaising with the media, with bloggers and with clients. You'll need an enthusiasm for sharing the love, whether that's a knack for crafting kooky social media content, researching and drafting articles and blog posts, or a having a creative way with the dullest of concepts. Just like our work experience students, if you make the odd cup of tea or introduce us to a new band, Netflix series or the hottest thing in digital marketing - you'll build team bridges quickly.
What will you get out of an internship in Oxfordshire?
Business doesn't happen out in the sticks, does it? Sorry to be the bearer of groundbreaking news, but we work for clients nationwide and the fact we're based 20 minutes from Oxford city centre is neither here nor there. Our Oxford clients love our Oxford knowledge and experience. And our other clients (in London, East Anglia, Sussex, Cornwall and France) don't mind that we have a gorgeous little office on a green business park in rural Oxfordshire, because it means we don't bump up their fees to cover our London office overheads.
Rural businesses might not have an artisan coffee shop downstairs, or a cool after work bar next door, but we still do outstanding work for our clients (fuelled by our very own proper bean-to-cup coffee machine, so there) and have a good time while doing it.
For a real insight into an internship with us talk to Tom - that's how his career at Coconut started and he's still here.
Apply for an internship
If you'd like to apply for an internship drop me a line.
What's likely to sway me that you're the right person for the job? A go-get-em attitude, a genuine interest in digital PR and comms, an insight into what you could bring to the team and to our clients. Over to you...