International for some, local for me!

Hi everyone,

My name is Grace and I'm currently in the midst of completing my undergraduate degree in Curtin Singapore. Having completed all my academic PR modules earlier this June, I'm so glad that it is now time to put my knowledge to the test in the real world. 

As I pen my first entry, I am also pleased to share that I've already completed two of three months with my internship company of choice, Touch Communications. Touch Communications is a boutique PR agency specializing in providing companies with the finest, most personal touch to their media relations, events and copywriting. Specialising in beauty, F&B, sports and lifestyle industries, their area of expertise reaches beyond traditional media and encompasses social media, web development, media training, overseas media junkets, crisis communication, events management and advertising.

The last two months have been a nervewrecking but nonetheless, enjoyable journey! While I'm eager to share everything in this one post, let's not jump on the bandwagon as yet. Instead, I would like to tell you about a meaningful struggle I had when looking for my internship placement.

I knew I wanted to start my internship search early as I was afraid it would be difficult to get a place.While many wonder about the question of doing in-house or consultancy, that was never an issue to me as I have always known that I wanted to gain some agency experience first. Instead, I recall a vivid memory as I questioned myself if I wanted to start my PR career with an international PR firm such as Hill & Knowlton, Fleishman-Hillard, etc. or a local boutique agency. Getting this right is important to me as more than one has advised me earlier that it will determine a large part of the course of my career path going forward in terms of exposure to the right contacts, starting remuneration, scale of work, scope of work, etc.

The default was that many urged me to try for international companies because of the boundless opportunities it may present, a stellar on my resume and of course, not forgetting a fatter paycheck. However, I have also heard of horror stories from seniors about unrealistic expectations, limited learning (everyone is too busy to teach and in a larger company, job scopes are usually more defined) and people constantly jumping at your throat.

On the other hand, there was a nagging thought that tugged at my heartstrings to tell me that I should join a local boutique agency as I wanted to take things slow and be exposed to as many aspects of PR as possible first. Having sat through lectures on the different types and sizes of PR firms, I knew that being in a boutique firm would mean fewer accounts to service but more exposure in terms of work responsibilities as there are fewer employees and job scopes are not entirely defined. 

I made the decision eventually, to send resumes to only local boutique agencies. After all, this is an internship and my first experience with hands-on PR. I would prefer not to let fear engulf my passion in my first job. I am glad to say that I managed a few interviews within the week and by May, secured a three months internship with Touch Communications starting 18 June 2012.

Interning with a local boutique agency turned out to be everything I thought it would be and more. Indeed, job scopes are not defined as servicing a client account meant taking care of their every need, those including PR and those that don't. This can be exceptionally taxing. However, I have a small but supportive team behind my back as well as a very kind boss who constantly acknowledges my presence and work contributions. Deep down, I give myself a pat on the back for making the right decision for me.

Busting the myth of bosses jumping at your throats in international PR firms, my classmates who are working there tells me that they too are enjoying their internship and have good bosses. They did share though, that they have more accounts to handle and more overtime to do. I guess this means that there is no one choice that is more right than the other. Ultimately, it boils down to your personal preference and what you are looking for in your internship.

For those who shares my dilemma, I  hope this entry helped you in some way or another!

Until the next,

Grace Ong

Curtin Singapore

15230928

In-house V Agency- Whats the best path?

Hello all,

My name is Ben Hennessy and I’m doing my work placement at a charity group called Rocky Bay. Rocky Bay is a not-for-profit organisation that provides disability services to more than 1000 children and 500 adults across Western Australia. My initial decision to approach Rocky Bay was the fact that they were a not-for-profit company and would essentially appreciate any help they could get. This relationship would be mutually beneficial to both parties because it means I would be given more responsibility, which as it turns out I have.

I am just over half way through my placement at Rocky Bay but I am only doing one day a week. Only doing one day a week has had its positives and negatives. On the positive side, I have had the chance to work on a number of projects because I have been there over an extended period. One the negative side, it has been difficult to get stuck right into projects because by the time I come back a week later the assignment has passed. This hasn’t always been a huge problem as Rocky Bay’s PR heavily revolves around event management and fundraising, which requires several weeks of extended planning.

 I have to say I am grateful to the team at Rocky Bay for their support and showing faith in me by giving the responsibilities they have. In concluding this post, I wanted to ask what everyone else thinks on the issue. Having spoken to a number of fellow PR students, many have gone out trying to get work in established PR firms and agencies. As students coming to the end of our university degrees, are we better off going for smaller in-house jobs to fine-tune our PR skills?

I look forward to your responses,

Ben