BRILLIANT CLUB (THE

Lasting Impressions

Overall, my internship was a positive experience. It enhanced my research skills and my

confidence in presenting new ideas and putting them into action. As ABC London is

comprised of quite a small team, I was given a high level of responsibility and would see my

ideas actualised quickly. While the podcast creation was rewarding, I enjoyed the setting up

of the art foundation the most, given the aspects of problem-solving and the exciting

possibilities available when setting up something from scratch.

The internship has thus confirmed for me that I would like my future career to involve

problem-solving and working face-to-face with people on a daily basis. I will definitely keep

in contact with ABC London, perhaps coming back to work with them over the next year or

so, and will become an ambassador for the new charitable foundation.

Harry Twohig, Mansfield College, Second Year Undergraduate, BA History, Remote working

Work Projects

I worked with university partnerships team at The Brilliant Club,

supporting the planning and delivery of a series of virtual

graduation ceremony events for students who had completed

the organisation's programmes in the summer term. Tasks

included the creation of certificates and PowerPoint slides for

each graduation ceremony, liaising with staff across the organisation to ensure that school

and student details were displayed correctly, managing signups for the events via Eventbrite

and ensuring that parents who had registered received the links to join the appropriate

graduation ceremony.

Following the events, I reviewed the briefing documents given to university partners and

student ambassadors, who deliver a session as part of the graduations, to ensure that all

parties were adequately briefed, and I prepared a document evaluating the events overall,

with feedback that could be actioned in the future. These graduation ceremonies were

attended by around 4,000 students nationally, and seeing how proud the students were of

their achievements made all of the hard work in supporting with these events worthwhile. I

received a high level of support throughout the whole process, with regular teams calls,

training sessions and check-ins.

Daily Life

The Brilliant Club sent me a laptop in the post which I had to

use for remote working, to have access to all of the

organisation's drives and the appropriate software. I found a

really useful thing to do was to use the laptop as a visual

indicator of when I was at work and when I was not - I put

the laptop away, out of sight, once I'd finished work each

day. I think this helped me to separate my work life from my home life when both were

happening in the same physical space.

Additionally, The Brilliant Club were great in allowing flexibility with working hours, as they

do with all staff. While the organisation does have some core hours when everyone is

expected to be online and in the office, you are able to complete the rest of your hours at a

time that suits you, so if you're an earlier riser you could start at 8am and finish at 4pm

every day. This was very helpful in managing my work life balance during the internship.

Lasting Impressions

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with The Brilliant Club and would highly recommend this

organisation to any future interns. I feel as though I was able to gain valuable insight into the access / education sector, and was fully supported throughout the experience. What

really amazed me throughout my time with The Brilliant Club, and what I think will stay with

me wherever I work in the future, was how much the staff cared about making sure that

everything was right for each individual child.

When delivering on such scale, it would have been easy to settle, but the organisation also

strove to do their best by each and every young person, which I think was really

inspirational. This internship has confirmed to me that I would like to work in an education

charity in the future. I can't recommend The Brilliant Club enough.

BA Jurisprudence, Final year undergraduate, Remote working

Work Projects

My internship was well-organised, and I was impressed with how my line-manager gave me

tasks that were all well connected and progressed organically from one task to the next. My

first few days involved induction sessions, where I met team members who I would be

closely working with, and had inductions sessions such as data protection sessions, and

presentations about the charity's background.

For my first main task, I contributed to the

creation of Graduation Feedback Reports,

which required me to select relevant quotes

from students, parents, and teachers, to add

to the report. I was also able to attend a live

Graduation event, and it was nice to see the

students celebrating their achievements. I

was happy to see how proud the Brilliant Club staff members were of these achievements as

well, as it highlighted to me how much the charity cares about its mission of widening

access to higher education, for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

I was involved in the development of handbooks that students who participate in the

Brilliant Club's programmes would use. I was also involved in the recruitment process, and

had the opportunity to lead virtual Assessment Centres, interviewing potential PhD Tutors.

It was a valuable experience for me to understand from a recruitment point of view, what

the charity looks for in its tutors, and its high standards are another reflection of how much

the charity cares about its mission, and about the quality of the participants' experience.

Throughout my time at the Brilliant Club, everyone I worked with was incredibly supportive

and explained tasks clearly. If I was unsure about something I always felt comfortable to ask

and no one ever made me feel like I was asking too many questions, which I really

appreciated as it helped foster a welcoming and encouraging work environment.

Daily Life

On a typical day, I would wake up at 7am and get

ready to sit at my desk for a 9am start. I was

working from home most days. At 9am, I would

have a check-in meeting with my line-manager,

where we would catch up about how we've been,

and what work I have planned for the day. My line-manager was really friendly and

supportive, and the meetings were useful for planning the day ahead. After the meeting, I

would get started with my work for the morning. Then at 11am, I might have another

meeting, catching up with another intern to see what work they've been getting up to, and

how they've been finding the experience.

During my time at the Brilliant Club, I didn't really have many calls on a day-to-day basis, but

I always felt as though I had enough work to be getting on with. However, if I wanted to chat

to someone during a break, or ask any questions, I felt comfortable enough to message

someone on Teams for a chat. After lunch, I would get back to work. I had a variety of tasks

to complete while I was there, for example, working on feedback reports, or formatting the

course handbooks. I would usually end my day at 5pm-5:30pm. During the evenings, I would

either go for a relaxing walk to wind-down, or see my friends.

Lasting Impressions

I enjoyed my experience at the Brilliant Club. I feel as though I gained a lot of new and

relevant experience. If I decide to work in the charity sector, my experience at the Brilliant

Club will be useful, for example when assessing if volunteers will be able to deliver the

charity's mission. This was a skill that I gained from leading assessment centres, deciding

whether candidates would fit the role and whether they aligned with the charity's mission.

At university, I completed a law degree, so if I decide to pursue a career in law, my

experience at the Brilliant Club will be useful because formatting the handbooks allowed me

to develop my attention to detail, which is a necessary skill when drafting legal

documentation for example. Finally, my experience at the Brilliant Club will generally

positively contribute to any future job I might have that requires me to work in teams and

manage various workflows while meeting strict deadlines.