The Oxbridge Formula

Ruby Gaffney,St. Anne’s College, Final Year Undergraduate, BA English Language& Literature,Remote Working

Work Projects

The first half of the internship was based in sales which entailed calling potential clients to book them onto free video consultations about the products. The next half of the internship involved editing videos for the Oxbridge Formula's YouTube and Tiktok channels. I learned a lot doing both of these jobs.

Daily Life

Working from home had its ups and downs, on the one hand I didn't have to commute or buy lunch and on one or two days I could even do some of the video editing while sitting in bed, on the other hand, it was quite difficult to share a house with my whole family while both my parents also worked from home, especially during the heatwave in the summer. I found that I had to make sure I got out of the house every evening, or I would just spend the entire day in my room looking at a screen.

Lasting Impressions

I definitely learned a lot from this experience, phone sales were something I never thought I'd be able to do beforehand but I was surprised by how easily I picked it up. It definitely boosted my confidence and enhanced my communication skills.

First Year Undergraduate, MPhys Physics, Remote Working

Work Projects

I worked for The Oxbridge Formula as a sales intern and also spent a week working as a tutor for their physics summer course. The first week was primarily a training week and we were taught what tasks we would have to do and how to use the technology. We also did some general sales and closing technique training. My main tasks were calling prospective customers and carrying out video consultations in order to sell the courses. I was required to have excellent knowledge of the products and courses offered by the company and also of the application process for Oxbridge and its challenges. In my week

tutoring, I worked with the main tutor to help students prepare for the PAT, ENGAA and NSAA tests.

Daily Life

My internship was a remote internship with set hours. At the start and end of each day we would check in and discuss plans and targets for the day and we would review these at the end of the day. In the training week we used Zoom the whole time to be in constant communication and this was also the platform we used for the physics course that I tutored on. We also used slack and WhatsApp to communicate.

Lasting Impressions

I really enjoyed the internship and it gave me a lot of new skills. I knew almost nothing about sales coming into this internship, but I quickly learned a lot about different sales techniques and strategies. The internship also gave me an insight into working in a small business as my previous work experiences had all been with larger companies. It also gave me an insight into the education industry which was not something I had experienced before. Through my tutoring role I was able to gain skills in teaching physics and maths to teenagers and how to execute this online.

SecondYear Undergraduate, BATheology and Religion, Remote Working

Work Projects

During my internship I focused on sales calls for the company and editing video media. Regarding sales, I spent the first week in sales training which was very informative. I learnt about the academic products provided by the company that helped students practice for various admissions tests including the STEP and more. We also followed video training by an expert in sales that improved our technique when it came to speaking on calls. I became more confident when discussing the products and how best they could help improve people's approach to taking admissions tests.

Regarding video-editing, I edited interviews conducted with students at Oxford and Cambridge which were informative for prospective students regarding colleges and various courses. These videos were great because they gave insight for future students about life at Oxford and Cambridge as well as on what the courses are like from the perspectives of students. I edited any mistakes or pauses in the videos, and created shorter versions of the

videos that would be uploaded to the social media website TikTok. This helped me become more proficient at editing and also was very informative for me learning about different colleges at the two universities.

Daily Life

Working from home meant there was no travel time for commuting which was convenient. My hours for the internship were originally 10:00-18:00 with an hour lunch break at 13:00. During the last few weeks of the internship this changed to 09:30-17:30.

At first during sales training we were on Zoom for most of the day, listening to advice on sales and learning about the academic products provided by the company. This schedule gradually changed when our tasks shifted to video editing. When this happened virtual meetings with the rest of the team occurred two or three times a day. In between these times we worked on editing the media.

Outside of work I spent most of my time reading and walking outside, usually trying to get some fresh air after a day inside. This was really helpful and gave me much more energy throughout the week. Because of the lack of commuting due to the internship being held remotely, it was great to walk around and exercise after work.

Lasting Impressions

I appreciated how informative the internship was regarding academia, teaching me a lot about other courses and their requirements, as well as life at Oxford and Cambridge outside of my personal experience. Watching and editing interviews of other students gave me a great sense of pride at how much I love my university. Moreover, as I grew quicker at editing the videos, I now believe I have gained a new skill for video editing which will be useful regarding future career aspirations. I also appreciated the sales training, which taught me how to seem confident and knowledgeable when speaking to potential clients about the company's products.

I think the experience was very informative in that it gave detailed insights on how to sell a product and be both direct and informative when asked questions. It also importantly taught the team about what to avoid when approaching sales calls. Finally, the fact that the internship was held remotely will always have a lasting impression on me. This completely unprecedented time meant that all communication and team meetings were virtual or on the phone. This definitely helped me feel more confident when speaking on Zoom, and I believe I will now be more comfortable when attending future virtual meetings both for lectures and other events.