What to Expect on a Marketing Internship

Are you a graduate eager to stand out in this competitive field? Or are you simply eager to gain fantastic work experience? Whatever your background, you want a career-boosting marketing internship.

After all, an internship in marketing is the best way to prepare for a full-time job in this sector. 

Not only will you receive an array of practical and hands-on experience. But you’ll also gain a taster of whether marketing, or a specific area of marketing, is right for you. 

Additionally, you’ll develop an array of contacts who will aid you with your career path progression.

Major firms in this sector include: Accenture Interactive, PwC Digital Services and Deloitte Digital. All arms of major companies, they bring in billions in revenue each year. 

And of course, practically all companies engage in marketing in some way. From charities to pharmaceutical companies, you can gain marketing experience anywhere you look. 

Marketing is a growing sector with excellent job prospects. It’s a creative industry full of young and dynamic people. Work hard, rise up the ranks, and a high earning potential awaits. 

Of course, maybe you’re unsure what awaits you in a marketing internship. You’ll want to know as much as possible; from the work you’ll be doing to what it’s like to work abroad.

So we’ve got everything you need, all in one article.

Read on and discover just what it’s like to undertake a marketing internship.

The pressures of marketing are varied. While the atmosphere is often laid-back, the competing demands of multiple clients can be difficult to juggle. And there are occasional periods of tight deadlines and high pressure. 

So employers particularly look for the adaptable and highly organized. Keep a diary of your deadlines, stay focused, and you’ll thrive. 

Of course, marketing is primarily concerned with communication. So good written communication skills – as well as editing and proof-reading – are vital. Maintain close attention to detail and stay accurate at all times. 

A single typo can sink a piece of copy; but there’s nothing more satisfying than sending off that perfect document.

The explosion of digital marketing in recent years has brought with it a rise in digital skills. Social media is a cheap and effective avenue for marketing campaigns. As such, experience in this area is useful, but not essential. 

Naturally, you will already have an understanding of what marketing is about. But as an industry so incredibly broad that encapsulates so many job roles, it’s hard to know what to expect. 

While each marketing internship will undoubtedly vary, below are 4 key aspects that make up any marketing internship.

From day one, you’ll be treated like one of the team.

While an average work experience or shadowing might have you sitting about with little to do – or, worse still, making the coffee – here you’ll be thrown into a dynamic and exciting work environment. 

After a short introduction, you’ll learn continuously as you work. In addition, it’s likely you’ll be trusted to make your own decisions as you manage your workload.

Alongside you will be your colleagues. They’ll be friendly and eager to help you succeed; a good marketing team communicates often. So if you’ve got queries, ask away; there’s no such thing as a stupid question! 

Keeping an eye on you will be your manager. They’ll act as a guide if you need assistance; and with regular progress reviews and pastoral care, you’ll feel utterly at ease.

You’ll also build strong relationships at regular drinks or dinner sessions. These informal events are a time to kick back and relax, away from the hectic reality of the workplace. The bonds you’ll form will help you prosper in the workplace.

An integral part of your internship will of course be the work you do. But what sort of thing can you expect?

For a start, get ready to do a lot of writing! For the most part you’ll be writing, re-writing, editing, and proof-reading. It’s a key task when you work in marketing.

You’ll also get deep into the development process; suggesting new and innovative ways of connecting with your audience before getting to implement them yourself. 

It’s a creative job, so get ready for some blue sky thinking.

Additionally, you’ll definitely exercise your digital skills in this role. From social media campaigns to tailored emails, so much of marketing is conducted online. Twitter, Facebook, WordPress, Instagram – depending on your firm, you’ll get deep into the weeds of these websites and others.

Closely tied to working with web pages and social media is image manipulation. You’ll be scouring the internet looking for high-quality images to go alongside your immaculate copy. Or you’ll brief web developers, animators or graphic designers to create images, videos, animations or infographics for your copy.

Either way, you’ll soon get up to speed with how to crop, brighten, and otherwise edit images. All of which will provide the perfect accompaniment to your hard work.

You’ll leave your internship with incredible experience. As well as the skills and knowledge to make you an attractive candidate to any future employer. There’s nothing more valuable than knowing that your new hire can slot into the workplace with ease or without training. 

At Beyond Academy, we offer fourteen stunning international destinations for your marketing internship. From Bangkok and San Francisco to Paris and Tokyo; wherever you want to go, we’ve got you covered.

While you gain an array of practical marketing knowledge, you’ll get to indulge in an international experience too.

As you work in your chosen city, you’ll gain a new appreciation for the local history and culture on offer. Some cities are fiercely traditional, others at the cutting edge of modernity. 

You’ll explore your city’s unique blend with a mixture of tours, museum trips, and excursions to theatres and restaurants. Past, present, future; you’ll discover it all while you work.

Of course, there’s no point working abroad if you’re simply looking for a holiday. We know that employers take an unfavourable view of flimsy excuses; or worse still, bragging about your ‘adventure’. As such, you need to make sure that you match your career plans to your city.

Fortunately, marketing is such a broad discipline that you’ll find it wherever you turn. In addition, you’ll get a genuine marketing experience from any of the cities we offer. 

But if you’re looking for specific recommendations, we’d suggest choosing a destination that acts as a global hub for a range of companies big and small. For instance, London, Tokyo, Seoul and New York are all good picks for marketing.

By having concrete experiences to point to, you’ll validate your international internship to future employers. But if you’d like to read a bit more on how to properly convey your experiences, check out our explainer.

Another key thing you might not expect is a bustling community. In fact, you may worry about being in the heart of a foreign city on your own. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. 

You’ll be joined on your marketing internship by your Beyond Community, a group of interns just like you. They’ll all be navigating their own internships in your city. 

And there’s plenty of time to socialise. You’ll begin your experience with a welcome dinner. Here you’ll introduce yourself over some delicious international food. Your new friends will be excited to meet you, and this is your first opportunity to properly get to know each other.

Throughout your internship, there’ll be plenty more social events, dinners and trips for you to sink your teeth into. As well as developing your cultural awareness, you’ll forge closer bonds with your community.

And of course, your final scheduled event will be your farewell dinner. You’ll reassemble your Beyond Community one last time to say goodbye. Tears and laughter are guaranteed; be sure to congratulate each other and pledge to stay in touch. 

Many interns make friends for life during their internship – you’ll never forget them.

Overall, you’ll find working in the marketing sector to be a demanding experience. As such, you’ll need to draw on all of your skills and knowledge to succeed. And you’ll learn plenty as you work. 

But for a creative mind, a marketing internship is an opportunity to blossom in a dynamic and invigorating environment. There’s nothing more rewarding than getting your firm’s latest marketing campaign just right.

You’ll leave your internship with a new set of skills and practical experience. Which will ensure you stand out in future applications. And if there’s one thing that employers value above all, it’s on-the-job experience. 

But that’s not all; you’ll meet an array of movers and shakers while you work. Make a good first impression, build a list of contacts, and you may even have future job offers come to you. Or at least get a head start in the hiring process. 

Of course, it’s not just about the work. You’ll be adapting to rhythms of a foreign city. In addition, you’ll demonstrate your cultural awareness and mastery of an international business culture. 

Think of it this way: once you’ve flourished in a foreign city, what more could any future employer throw at you?

And as you live and work here, you’ll build your own community of amazing friends. Every single moment of your internship will benefit you personally and professionally. As a result you’ll come home with a truly unmatched life experience.

At Beyond Academy, we offer a range of marketing internships across an array of international destinations. 

We’ll factor in your background, skills and aspirations when designing your internship program. Our personalized approach will equip you with the right tools for you to kickstart your marketing career.

So if you’d like to find out more, please check out our marketing internship opportunities here!