Hi all!
My internship at Four Seasons Resort Mauritius has come to an end this week! An unforgettable experience on the overall despite the initial anxiety trip I had prior to starting the internship. The step into the real life was bound to have that effect since we always learnt in class that theory and practice would not always coincide and we would have to adapt accordingly. A reality check I am certain many faced, me included! An example was the media clippings, one of my first and most mundane task which was different from what I learnt in the PR 250 (Media Relations) classroom. The media releases were also of a different format from what we were taught in PR 200 (PR Techniques). A wake-up call definitely!
But this aside, the placement has allowed me to perform a variety of Public Relations duties with a main focus on Media Relations. While I have had the chance to help organise a couple of events, I also managed to write a Golf newsletter. I also had to work on a couple of concierge based project. The concierge is a major aspect of a hotel or resort as it provides guests with the information on their destination. They are the most knowledgeable on the subject usually. To be able to do the project I was assigned to do, I actually had to learn about the concierge and the various tourist attractions in Mauritius. I also had to work on a ad for Easter holidays, an invitation for the Golf Masters and co-host a press trip. Press trips are common in the hotel industry as I've discovered!
However, the internship not only served to help me gain professional skills. It also helped me to hone my interpersonal skill, a requirement in the Public Relations field. No good PR practitioner can survive without a good attitude and good working relationships should not just be with the media. Internal communication is equally important as image building is crucial for us being given that we have to rely on the chain more often than not especially while in the service industry. I also found out that versatility and adaptability was a must. This placement has enabled me to combine the theories learnt in the various PR modules and real life. While the classroom may not provide all the answers to the workplace, it definitely provides the right tools to help us join it successfully.
Good luck to everyone for the report and future endeavours!
Cheers
My internship at Four Seasons Resort Mauritius has come to an end this week! An unforgettable experience on the overall despite the initial anxiety trip I had prior to starting the internship. The step into the real life was bound to have that effect since we always learnt in class that theory and practice would not always coincide and we would have to adapt accordingly. A reality check I am certain many faced, me included! An example was the media clippings, one of my first and most mundane task which was different from what I learnt in the PR 250 (Media Relations) classroom. The media releases were also of a different format from what we were taught in PR 200 (PR Techniques). A wake-up call definitely!
But this aside, the placement has allowed me to perform a variety of Public Relations duties with a main focus on Media Relations. While I have had the chance to help organise a couple of events, I also managed to write a Golf newsletter. I also had to work on a couple of concierge based project. The concierge is a major aspect of a hotel or resort as it provides guests with the information on their destination. They are the most knowledgeable on the subject usually. To be able to do the project I was assigned to do, I actually had to learn about the concierge and the various tourist attractions in Mauritius. I also had to work on a ad for Easter holidays, an invitation for the Golf Masters and co-host a press trip. Press trips are common in the hotel industry as I've discovered!
However, the internship not only served to help me gain professional skills. It also helped me to hone my interpersonal skill, a requirement in the Public Relations field. No good PR practitioner can survive without a good attitude and good working relationships should not just be with the media. Internal communication is equally important as image building is crucial for us being given that we have to rely on the chain more often than not especially while in the service industry. I also found out that versatility and adaptability was a must. This placement has enabled me to combine the theories learnt in the various PR modules and real life. While the classroom may not provide all the answers to the workplace, it definitely provides the right tools to help us join it successfully.
Good luck to everyone for the report and future endeavours!
Cheers
2 comments:
Congratulations Tavinia on completing your internship. It sounds like you had a great experience where our PR units were really put into practice. I can understand what you mean when you mentioned the mundane tasks that you endured throughout the internship. Media clippings are also not an area I thoroughly enjoyed as to the other aspects carried out.
As you have endured a number of tasks that required the application of PR 250 and PR 200, do you see yourself working in a different area of public relations in the near future where these same skills will be just as applicable? As you mentioned adaptability and versatility, are you considering on remaining in this line of PR work or are you looking at experimenting with other types of organisations where different aspects of PR are explored? As there were both the ups and downs to your experience, will you focus on the areas that you found more appealing or more experienced? E.g. events or writing media releases and newsletters?
As I am still undergoing my internship, so it would be great to hear how someone who has just completed there own, express their personal views on where they think this internship will take them in the future.
Once again, congratulations! it sounds like you chose a fantastic organisation for your internship =]
Hi neversaynever!!
Thank you!! Yeah the experience was really great! That's an interesting question you asked. As a matter of fact, while having worked in the Media Relations (PR250 module) mostly, I realised that I did want some experience in other PR sections. Corporate Social Responsibility and its relatively new counterpart Corporate Environmental Responsibility are aspects of PR that really interest me. Am also thinking of trying consultancy as my next working experience if possible, to be able to assess the difference between consultancy and corporate and subsequently decide which one I would prefer in the long run.
But I guess the basic PR skills is a requirement in whichever field you choose and yeah even the most mundane tasks such as media clippings do come in handy. Maybe you may have noticed or will notice that when you are organising an event!
This internship really helps you orient yourself towards where you want to be in future. In class you can decide on a specific area that you want to tackle but it is only when you are in the real world that you actually can make the decision based not on assumptions, but real experience!
As the saying goes, experience is the best teacher! ;)
Enjoy your placement and your feedback on your own internship will be most welcomed!
Cheers
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