Reasons You Should Apply to be the Next PGR Office Intern (from the Current One)
Danielle Fatzinger (@bonniecelt) is the current PGR Office Intern and a third-year PhD in Celtic & Gaelic.
Of all the blog posts I’ve written over the last 15 months (and there are plenty of them), this one is the most difficult. When I reflect on my time as the PGR Office Intern, there is simply so much I could say about the people, the tasks, the events, and the unexpected changes to the job description (like becoming the primary blogger/editor and the shifts in thinking and planning required as a result of the pandemic). I am aware that at the end of September, I will be handing over the metaphorical reins to this blog, its social media, and all related events, and I sit and stare at four handwritten pages of reflections on my time in the PGR Team. How do I decide what to include?
There’s only one way to answer that question (which is lucky for me, or this post would still be a jumbled document hanging out in my OneDrive, unfit for public consumption): I must include things that will help convince my fellow PGRs that this is a great opportunity to apply for and do (because I can’t emphasise how much it is).
So, without further ado: reasons you should apply to be the next PGR Office Intern (from the current one).
You will be supported by the PGR Team...to be independent.
It can be daunting to start a new job, but the PGR Team makes it such an easy transition. When I started, I was given time to explore my new role: get familiar with the blog and social media, meet people, and do the mandatory training. I had projects to start on, and designated people to help me with them when I needed it, and I was there to help others if they needed it. It was slow going at first, but I soon found myself claiming things as my own: the blog (after the last blogging team said farewell), the social media, the events.
Best of all, all the support I had came with the ability to be independent. I could make progress on projects, schedule social media, brainstorm, and handle the admin for competitions and events without unnecessary oversight (as long as I checked in, kept my line manager updated, and sought assistance when necessary, of course). I could make mistakes, learn new ways to do things, and correct those mistakes without judgment. As someone used to working independently on my research, it was great to get experience doing so in an office setting, practicing keeping my team updated and drawing upon them for help when needed.
You will have small (sometimes unexpected) victories.
Research is a long process. The PhD takes years. Tasks often aren’t ‘finished’, but rather ‘finished for now’. It can be difficult to celebrate the little victories and steps taken when something may not really be ‘done’.
But in the internship, the projects are shorter-term, and the events and tasks have clear boundaries. Did the Bake-Off happen, and did PGRs enjoy the yummy bakes? Yes? Yay! Time for a celebratory hot chocolate!
And these victories can be unexpected, part of the ‘and other duties’ line in the job description. Bringing and presenting a report to the Deans of Graduate Studies meeting. Being able to tell a guest blogger that their post has done well. Supporting the participants in the various competitions and watching them succeed. Reading the Love Letters to Theses. Becoming a valued member of the team and being turned to for tasks done well in the past.
When thesis-writing was a slog and a chapter was taking longer than I thought it would, having shorter/smaller projects to work on related to PGRs and PGR-life was immensely valuable for my motivation.
You will gain confidence and adaptability.
I will be leaving this internship more confident than I entered it, knowing the value of the skills I have and my ability to learn new ones. I know that even if things are difficult, or stressful, or frustrating, or not necessarily how I want them to go, I have the ability to find a solution, or to find someone who has a solution...even while adjusting to a pandemic. This was very valuable for me, having started school as a small child and just never stopped, working short-term or part-time in more limited roles, and never before working in an office.
And I know that the next intern will learn different things, and develop different skills, but I have faith that in the end, they will walk away with something positive, whatever it is.
Your experience of research culture will expand.
Like many PGRs, I was in a bubble before I started this internship. I knew the people in my subject, some individuals in related subjects, and a few others I’d come across at one event or another. I mostly kept to myself, transcribing manuscripts and reading about 17th-18th century Scotland, not feeling like I had the time to attend events unrelated to my topic when I already had my research, my part-time work, and my hobbies.
This internship expanded my access to researchers and as a result, my engagement with current issues in research, like open-access, sustainability, mental health, post-PhD careers, and more. I started to attend more events, both for the internship and for my own personal interest, on a wider variety of topics and with more researchers from outside my discipline. I started to make connections to how I was doing my own research and what I was learning from it, and I would often find I would enter these events sleepy and leave rejuvenated, mind alight with fresh thoughts and ideas.
Your time management skills will improve.
I like to think I had good time management skills before this internship started, but they have definitely improved. Fitting my research around my work schedule was in many ways the easy part. In my research, I could add hours to my day if they were needed to finish my task, but I couldn’t do that with my internship. Having a specific, limited number of hours each week to work within made me think more seriously about what to prioritise, when things needed to be completed, and what could safely be ignored or put on hold.
Ultimately, you should apply if you want to.
None of my other points were meant to say that this internship experience was always full of sunshine. There were days when I spent hours just writing and scheduling social media (which can be a boring task when done enough). Managing events for the first time was intimidating. Not all of my ideas or suggestions were good ones. But every job has its moments, and when I look back on the overall experience, I know I’m looking at a formative aspect of my young adult life, and I know I’ve learned a lot about who I am, who I want to be, and what I want to do going forward.
I remember when I saw the ad for the internship in spring 2019. I almost talked myself out of applying, thinking I didn’t stand a chance. I thought that it seemed hard, and while it utilised some skills I had experience with, I had no experience with others. I ended up applying for one main reason: I wanted to. I wanted to meet more of my PGR community. I wanted to use my media skills again and write something besides my thesis. I wanted to try planning events.
Qualified or not, I wanted to apply, so I did.
And it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Applications to be the next PGR Office Intern are open until 4 September 2020 via the Internship Hub.
