Finding my internship

As a final-year student with the world of post-graduate life looming over me, I was keen to ensure that I had some experience under my belt.

At the end of 2025 I was offered the brilliant opportunity to be the Strategy and Communications intern at TBL Services, which as an English Literature student, felt like a fantastic opportunity to try something new.

Having previously taken a placement year in industry, I wanted to make sure that I could use the skills I gained there in a different industry, but I was also keen to work in a different environment and industry, which TBL perfectly encapsulates. Not only did it align with my interests, but it also ensured that I could explore various parts of the organisation.

With the stresses around dissertation, assignments, exams and classes – this work placement became the perfect break from university and allowed me to gain practical experience and connect with a very friendly and knowledgeable group of people.

My placement experience

It doesn’t matter how many jobs I’ll have, I think I’ll always be quite nervous when starting a new role. However, the team at TBL were very welcoming and friendly, alleviating any nerves that I had. It also helped that I was going through this journey with fellow intern – Charlotte Muncaster, having started this internship together, she was always there as a helping hand and friendly face from beginning to end of the placement.

On my first day, I had the chance to meet most of the team in-person and they went at lengths to get to know us more, ensure we were comfortable and even organised a team pizza lunch. Throughout the placement, everyone continued to make sure we had work to do and supported us.

Prior to my start at TBL, I had a meeting with Rachael, our HR Director and Liza, our Head of Strategy and Communication to discuss any specific responsibilities or areas of the organisation I was interested in exploring. They also informed of the various tasks they were planning for me, and it was great to see that they offer a structured way of implementing us into the business and work, and any other interests I expressed was certainly taken on board.

I was able to apply my skills from my degree through close reading and analysis of past reports and contributing to new reports. I applied my research skills by reviewing websites and sustainability reports of a variety of other companies and I was able to create content for upcoming social media posts and had the chance to present my findings of best practices in marketing.

This gave me the opportunity to learn more about sustainability as a whole and gain new skills within an industry I knew nothing about prior to beginning this placement. This wouldn’t be possible without the guidance of the team at TBL –  a special thanks to Mike for guiding me through the written tasks and advice in copywriting, Callum for giving me a great insight to company research and reviewing reports, Liza for structuring my workload and providing a fantastic array of tasks and responsibilities, Rachael for organising and preparing me for my placement and finally Colin for being a friendly face and positive leader. I’m also really thankful to the team as a whole, for showing me what a healthy work environment looks like.

Overall reflection and advice

Overall this placement was a great experience and it helped me to understand potential career paths. Whilst I had challenges around a new workplace and industry, I was able to overcome these with the help of such a friendly and supportive team.

If I were to offer any advice to students like me who feel quite a bit of pressure and perhaps criticism about their future, especially as an English student, I would say that you are capable of a lot more thank you think. There are many opportunities that you can make yours, don’t limit yourself to your degree and don’t be afraid to try new things and experiences.