Agency life is just what I’m looking for! | Bana, Union Group Intern

Bana, Union Group Intern

I remember scrolling through LinkedIn back in April, feverishly looking for something to catch my attention. I was still completing my master’s degree at the time, so I couldn’t pay any mind to the full-time job postings. That’s when I found the absolute firecracker of an experience - the UNLOCKED Internship Programme. I knew I immediately had to apply! Fast forward three months and I began interning with The Union Group. The first day I arrived at the old church, my breath was immediately taken away. I knew the office was inside the church; so I knew I was at the right building, but I was just so mesmerised by the sight. The day flew by as I met the team, toured the inside of the building, and got to know the in’s and out’s of the agency. Leaving that day, I felt so refreshed and energised, feeling that I was finally a part of something. 

Union Group office

Over the span of three weeks, I was involved in a multitude of different projects. While it felt like I was dropped in the deep end, my fantastic supervisor and co-workers were right there every step of the way to make sure I was gaining the absolute most of the experience.

During the internship, I felt like I was doing a bunch of different side quests. From conducting market research into the education certification market in China, to creating pre-production decks for client video shoots, to location scouting for clients! I believe that I gained insight into many different aspects of agency life. Spinning many different plates, I learned very soon, was a very common part of your day-to-day working at an agency. 

One of my favourite moments, though, has to be when the team asked me to join them on a scavenger hunt networking event fusion organised by the Edinburgh Chambers. This was the perfect way to break the ice for me, since we were running around town together trying to achieve each prompt on the scavenger hunt. From tracking down people in kilts to take a photo with them, to figuring out maths problems on the top floor of St. James Quarter. The scavenger hunt was a fantastic way for me to build a relationship with my coworkers. 

Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunt

My time with The Union was definitely time well spent. Working under such talented individuals taught me so many valuable skills. Before this internship, I thought I was completely ready to enter the workforce. I did a postgrad after all, how different could it be? At The Union though, my coworkers taught me the nuance and finesse needed to approach both a full-time job, and full-time job at an agency. I thought I knew how to write a proper email, but this role made me learn that there is definitely a thing as too many exclamation points! 

Whilst The Union knew how to keep it 100% professional, that didn’t mean that the team didn’t know how to have some fun. The last Thursday of the month, which also happened to be my last Thursday with them, the social team had organised a trivia quiz which was extremely fun. Seeing everyone let loose and have a fun time together was so refreshing, and made me realise that agency life is just what I’m looking for! 

I’m forever grateful for both The Union Group and The UNLOCKED Internship Programme for allowing me the opportunity to intern at an agency, because it made me realise what path I wanted to take, and allowed me to essentially take a trial run for it. I’m also so grateful for everyone that I’ve met through the programme, and I’m so excited to continue being part of such a fantastic group of people!