Interning at Scottish Land & Estates
In this blog, our Communications Intern Joanna McPhillips shares her experiences working with SLE for the summer. It has been fantastic working with Joanna for the past two months, and we wish her all the best for the future.
I love learning about everything in life, particularly understanding people and society, which is why working at Scottish Land & Estates has been an extremely valuable experience for me. As a social sciences student I am constantly pushed to challenge my beliefs and develop my understanding of the world further, something which has followed me through my internship at Scottish Land & Estates.
Growing up on the East coast by the sea, I never thought I was unaware of what it meant to live and work in rural Scotland, though some of my only real understanding was around issues to do with climate change reported in the media. However, joining SLE proved just how wrong I was, and has opened my eyes to all the incredible work that goes on. An interest in the media is what drew me to communications, specifically the idea of controlling powerful narratives – like climate change – which is why the overwhelming number of positive stories from the Helping it Happen nominees this year really surprised me, dramatically shifting my perception of rural Scotland since being here.
Truthfully, I did not know what to expect on my first day, as I had little knowledge of the industry, but I’ve always maintained that this was a factor that attracted me to the role, as I saw it as a unique opportunity to enter an industry like this. I was hugely impressed at how modern SLE is and how as a membership organisation, the communications department plays a vital role, so I was excited to be part of the work they do alongside the rest of the team.
My time at SLE has been spent helping with organising the Helping it Happen Awards, which has included uploading nominee case studies, producing promotional graphics, and posting information for the event online. I’ve greatly improved my computer skills overall and enjoyed the creative and technical aspects of managing SLE social media accounts, distributing the weekly newsletter, and uploading press releases to the website. One of my favourite things I’ve done was recording and editing a full episode of SLE’s ScotLand Matters podcast, which will be available to stream later in September.
Working in communications, no two days are the same, and I’ve learned while being an intern at SLE, the importance of being adaptable. Through shadowing of SLE’s Digital Projects Manager, Calum Henderson, and taking on my own tasks, I’ve seen the importance of reprioritising work to fit with what is necessary in that time to benefit the team.
My advice to anyone starting in a similar position would be to get the most out of every experience as possible. This is something I feel I have achieved, having learned so much in a short amount of time, and could be something as small as learning more about any given concept, to improving your personal skills.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here and would recommend working at Scottish Land & Estates to anyone looking to be a part of an exciting organisation that champions for people, policy, and cultural issues in rural Scotland. I’m grateful to Calum and the team at SLE for giving me the opportunity to work with them and develop my skills this summer.
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