Being an Intern at The Bishop's Palace involves a variety of activities, helping the Palace Team in a meaningful way whilst gaining some valuable new experiences which will help me develop future career options.
My day starts at 9.45am when the team briefing takes place. This is where the team are updated about the day's particular happenings, allowing every department to be aware of what's going on as well as anything specific they will need to prepare for. The daily briefing sheet is always produced the night before and I sometimes assist Visitor Operations with adding the latest data and figures.
Next on my to-do-list is to check on the volunteers room, making sure that it is fully stocked with refreshments, cleaning supplies, magazines, and relevant bulletins. Having a dedicated rest-space is important to making sure the volunteers feel looked-after, so I have made a habit of re-stocking the room usually once at the beginning of each week.
Once this is done I head into the office, where I have been given the lead on a number of interesting projects. One example is the annual Volunteers Survey, allowing me to learn about why people volunteer, and what motivates them to get involved. I am currently in the process of analysing the data, which will be used by Siobhan and the Palace Team to improve and enhance the volunteer experience. Other projects I am working on include compiling data on the hours covered by volunteers per-month and year, organising the Palace team for this year's Moat Boat Race on 27th August, assisting the Marketing Department with releasing new advertisements, and working with the Development Manager on a mini Interpretation project.
I have been an Intern now for almost two months, and I am loving every minute of my time here!