Internship at a government relations and PR agency through the eyes of #METAIQ interns
Thinking about doing a traineeship but not sure where, what and why? Would you like to know what an internship in government relations and PR agency is like? Let us help you clear your mind—previous participants of the METAIQ internship programme looked at their summer internship experience in the META team.
An internship is a unique opportunity to investigate a field of interest and put your theoretical knowledge to the test in practice. In 2022, for the third summer, META will organise the #METAIQ internship programme, where future PR talents, government relations experts, or digital and multimedia professionals will have the chance to roll up their sleeves and take a step towards their dreams.
Clearly, the journey from school to the first professional traineeship is not always easy. We know from our own experience that there are many questions that can arise when it comes to choosing a traineeship, such as: what to consider when choosing a traineeship? How to get the most out of the placement? Who would be suitable for an agency placement?
Our own #METAIQ trainees can provide the best answers and the most in-depth insight into these questions. We’ve met with many talented young people throughout the years, however, this time we spoke to four of them and asked them to look back on their experience.
Applications for the 2022 #METAIQ internship programme closed on 17 April!
Karolina Kadak | marketing communications intern 2020
“An internship at an agency is a great foundation for an exciting career. It’s not easy to find such a variety of projects, opportunities to broaden your horizons, and a developing working pace.”
Read about Karolina’s internship experience
What is your professional background?
I am a student of Journalism and Communication at the University of Tartu. I have finished my Master’s degree by now, but I did my traineeship at META after my second year of undergraduate studies. Before that, my primary professional exposure to journalism was as a summer reporter position at Tartu Postimees a year earlier. I continued to write stories for them a co-author. Prior to the internship, I already had some association with communications as a Tartu Student Days’ media manager.
What makes the internship at the agency unique for you?
An internship at an agency is an excellent foundation for an exciting career. It’s not easy to find such a variety of projects, opportunities to broaden your horizons, and a developing working pace. What I liked most about the internship was the exposure to a diverse range of clients, projects, and tasks – the experience, knowledge, and courage I gained afterwards were much more remarkable. I felt as if I had gained the knowledge of several traineeships in a month.
What exactly did you do during your traineeship? Can you name a project or task that you were involved in at META that you enjoyed?
During my traineeship, I contributed to the development of communication plans, wrote press releases and other media texts, organized media lists, and monitored and summarised media coverage of clients. In addition, I was able to accompany my supervisor to client meetings, which gave me a fascinating insight into how agency-client cooperation works and how a project goes from brief to a fierce campaign. I can confidently say that I enjoyed all the tasks entrusted to me during my internship at META. The sparkle that came out of my training gave me the courage and the confidence to pursue my career in the communications field, working in an agency – today, I am a project manager in the PR team at creative agency Taevas Ogilvy.
What would you recommend to a student (in your field) who is still choosing a placement – what are the criteria for choosing a placement? What to consider when choosing a placement?
Try to get as broad a picture as possible of the opportunities in your field through internships. For example, if you are studying journalism and communication, I would recommend trying out both sides of the profession, regardless of where you initially see yourself in the future. The experience you gain in editorial work will definitely be helpful when you work in communication and vice versa.
I would recommend trying a traineeship in both the private and public sectors in communications. This way, you will increase your knowledge and experience and learn more about yourself through each placement. I can tell you from my own experience that, by adopting this strategy, even a newcomer to the profession will have a pretty good overview of their field by the time they start their first job, which will be hugely valuable in their future work.
Share three tips on how to get the most out of your traineeship?
1. Do a bit of preparatory work before starting your traineeship – find out more about the company/institution you’re going to. Find out what they’ve done that stood out and what their most exciting projects have been, and if possible, look at case studies and media coverage. Doing your homework beforehand will make it easier to settle in and undoubtedly help build mutual trust.
2. Think about your goals before the placement – in what areas and tasks do you want to be challenged? What contacts do you want to make? How could the placement develop your knowledge and skills? Setting goals helps you get the most out of your placement and helps you give your best, which is one of the biggest learning accelerators.
3. Appreciate your supervisor and the time they dedicate to you. Take the time to work through their guidance and feedback thoroughly – this will help you develop immensely and, in doing so, will build the confidence that will lead to exciting opportunities in the apprenticeship and help build a solid foundation for your career. Thank you, Riin!
Eero SIld |Government Relations intern 2021
“Personally, I try to try something completely new every year – something related to my field of study, of course – so that I have a better understanding of what I want to do after my studies and what I’m really interested in.”
Read about Eero’s internship experience
What is your professional background?
Political Philosophy and International Relations, I have previously interned at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Why did you choose META as your traineeship?
Purely out of personal interest: I had no idea what a PR agency did before working at META, and META was recommended to me by friends who had interned there before.
What makes an internship at an agency exciting or unique for you?
Being able to solve problems and perform tasks that are also done by paid staff – then a) I feel like a full member of the team and b) the internship also feels more rewarding because I get to see what the job is really like.
What exactly did you do during your traineeship? Name a project or assignment you worked on at META that you enjoyed?
I wrote reports and market research on new trends in the PR world, did translation work, and researched background information for a client. In addition, I produced monthly client reports. I enjoyed most gathering information and writing reports, as it was never routine. I felt that my work was valuable (bravo to META partner Andreas, who was very good at explaining the purpose and necessity of the tasks to the trainee).
What are the three biggest lessons you took away from your internship in government relations and PR?
The importance of the working environment – I felt valued by the employer at work, which also motivated me more. From the Coca-Cola in the fridge to the team events – it always felt like I was part of something bigger.
For PR work, it’s about character, not the professional background. I think that everyone can find a place in this field due to so many different types of clients and projects. But I suspect that psychologists and sociologists may have a particular advantage because I feel that PR is more about knowing people than products. Contacts are the most important thing when you’re doing relational work. It is probably impossible to set up a PR agency and find clients without a reputation and contacts.
What skills did the internship develop in you the most?
Prioritizing tasks and time planning. Also, the ability to say ‘no’.
What did your internship at META teach you about your own position?
It taught me that I don’t like routine work.
What would you recommend to a student (in your field of specialisation) who is still choosing an internship – what are the criteria for choosing an internship?
It’s worth thinking about what the placement will give you – whether and how much you will develop during the internship. For example, I try to do something completely different every year – something related to my field of study, of course – to have a better idea of what I want to do after my studies and what really interests me.
In three words, describe the atmosphere at META.
Positive, friendly, and mega-cool. I am grateful to the whole team for this experience.
Share three tips on how to get the most out of your internship?
Socialize as much as possible with colleagues (but not at the expense of work!).
When you run out of tasks – and this can happen – go and ask for more. At least in my experience at META, you don’t have to limit yourself to your supervisor – you can ask anyone. It was fascinating to see the PR side of things besides the government relations side. I think it fulfilled the whole internship experience.
And another important thing: if you don’t like something, say so. Really.
Keneli Pohlak | Marketing Communications intern 2021
“All the more reason for me to be delighted to see the client’s final advertisements and visuals after the internship – both in urban spaces and in digital media. That’s exactly when I had the great feeling that the ideas that had been in my head and were being finalised together with my colleagues were being realised!”
Read about Keneli’s internship experience
What is your professional background?
When I started my internship at META, I was just finishing my first year at the Faculty of Economics at Tallinn University of Technology. I majored in Business Administration and, more recently, specialized in Marketing at the beginning of 2022. Therefore, from an academic point of view, I did not have much experience in marketing communication. However, just before my summer internship, I had applied for the marketing team of the solar car project Solaride (now the educational program Solaride Academy) in the spring. As a result, I was selected to the marketing team, where I made a giant leap in my professional background with the best mentors in my field.
However, I believe that having graduated from Väike-Maarja Gymnasium with a gold medal, while at the same time having been very active in student council activities as president and in several competitions and contests, I gained the experience to successfully take my first steps in the marketing world. Time planning, critical thinking, prioritizing activities, and finding solutions are essential keywords that will also come in handy when working in marketing.
After the internship, I was hired to work as a social media specialist to SPARK Studios. I’m sure that my internship was a great incentive to start working there because I fell in love with the thrill and pain of agency work!
Why did you choose META for your internship?
I didn’t have much of an agency background when I applied. I had heard about META’s work culture and projects from my cousin Kristi, who worked as a senior consultant about three years ago. I came across META’s internship opportunity advertisement on Facebook several times. I thought it was a sign to apply – so I checked the website and social media platforms for more information about the agency. I made a decision and finally used it. As a first-year student, I didn’t have high expectations, but the whole process went well!
Why did I choose an agency instead of a specific company’s marketing department? Definitely because of the broad focus. I wanted to get an overall experience, and that’s what the META internship provided. During the day, for example, I had to deal with a company in the logistics sector and the fashion sector, write an article in the food sector, and later work on a campaign for a group of shopping centres. Broadening my worldview and dealing with different companies was one of the best experiences during the traineeship.
What exactly did you do during the internship? Name some of the projects you worked on at META that you enjoyed.
During the internship, I was exposed to a wide variety of issues. For example, drafting media pitches for companies, coming up with campaign ideas, making presentations for clients, and writing content marketing articles and press releases. I hadn’t been exposed to many of these tasks, but the tutors were always beneficial and supportive. My two supervisors – Helin and Riin – were the ones who mainly gave me assignments, but when I felt I was getting more done, I would also ask other assistants for assignments.
The most exciting tasks were probably two large-scale campaigns. For both of them, I was more in the brainstorming phase at META, formulating the final ideas, so I didn’t get to realise them myself. This made me happier to see the final version of ads and visuals after the internship – both in outdoor advertising in digital media. That’s precisely when I had the pleasant feeling that the ideas that had been in my head and were being finalised with my colleagues were being realised!
Who would you recommend an internship at the agency to?
I would recommend a traineeship at an agency to young people eager to learn and ready to work in unexpected situations. To a young person who wants to gain different experiences by dealing with various clients and who wants to put what they have learned to work for them. For a young person who is not afraid to make mistakes but is willing to try. For the young person who wants to combine new creative solutions with solutions that have worked before.
It is certainly not worth being afraid of doing an internship. If you don’t try, you won’t know what works!
Share three tips on how to get the most out of your internship?
1. If you feel you could do more and want to try more during your traineeship, don’t be afraid to ask other colleagues for more. The great thing about META was that while on a day-to-day basis I was dealing with clients whose relationship was managed by my mentors, other colleagues had different clients and activities to try out whenever possible. So, once again, it broadened my horizons and allowed me to peek behind the scenes of other businesses in the sector!
2. Go to the office when possible and spend time with others during your lunch break. My internship experience wouldn’t have been like this if I’d spent all my time in my home office. You get to participate in so many eye-opening discussions and find fascinating information you might not have heard about before. But, of course, the main thing that is also constantly talked about at university – networking and contacts are essential! PS! Keep in touch with your fellow trainees – I never thought I’d find a good friend during my traineeship, and I’d still be exchanging ideas with her.
3. Offer your youthful ideas and share your own experiences. I had a fun situation. We were in the kitchen with a senior consultant, and we talked about posting on LinkedIn. One of META’s clients needed consultation on this very subject. I had recently spoken to a mentor from the Solaride student project before—about managing Solaride’s LinkedIn account—and the solutions that worked in this case. She also shared case studies and videos on how to work on the platform. When the topic came up in META’s office, I immediately shared my ideas and knowledge with the senior consultant – and even for her, a few ideas came as a surprise. So it was a real success! Plus, nothing is ever fixed in marketing—always offer all your ideas to find out the best ones.
Saskia Bergmann | Government Relations intern 2021
“One of the most surprising new insights was how positive government relations work could be. I had assumed—and sometimes experienced—that government relations were mostly about influencing policy through the private sector. Still, in many ways, government relations is also about helping firms adapt to new policies and be at the forefront of change.”
Read about Saskia’s internship experience
What is your professional background?
I am studying political science at the University of Amsterdam. Before META, I did an internship at the Ministry of Social Affairs. I am very interested in the view of political developments as a shaper of society; thus, how we achieve change through politics. The META internship was a great place to discover this.
What exactly did you do during your internship? Name a project or task you were involved in at META that you enjoyed?
At META, I produced a review of EU Green Deal policies and their impacts. At first, it seemed like a simple overview, but it turned out to be quite challenging and a lot of fun to process so much specific terminology and complex text!
I learned a lot about how the European Union works and got some excellent ideas about sectors to invest.
What are the three biggest lessons you took away from your internship in government relations and PR?
The biggest lesson was professionalism and regularity. Assignments had to be completed quickly but without sacrificing spelling, the visual aspect of the document, etc. One of the most surprising new insights was how positive government relations work could be. I assumed—and sometimes experienced—that government relations were mostly about influencing policy through the private sector. Still, in many ways, GR is also about helping firms adapt to new policies and be at the forefront of change.”
What skills did the internship develop in you the most?
In addition to the regularity mentioned above, I became much more familiar with the terminology used in government agencies, the documents, and the processes to follow. One of the most important skills was synthesizing complex texts into concise ones. The ability to be independent and entrepreneurial, think ahead about projects, and even have the courage to ask for new projects for myself was also important.
Who would you recommend an internship at an agency to?
I would recommend a traineeship at META to everyone! Even if it turns out that it’s not quite what you want to do, the experience itself is so valuable, educational, and fun that there is definitely no regret.
In three words, describe the working environment at META.
The META working environment is fun, open, and challenging.
