Hi there, we are Amna and Linh. We recently finished our studies and are both interning with the Student Content Management and Frontline Student Services teams at King’s.
We became friends whilst sitting next to one another in the office but have been working on different projects. Amna has been working as a Student Content Management intern and Linh recently became a permanent member of the Frontline Student Services teams after interning with them over the summer.
We thought it would be interesting to sit down together to chat about Linh’s experience applying for her internship and how she found transitioning from student intern to staff member.
How was your experience with the internship at King’s?
My internship with the Frontline Student Services team has been enriching. It has been a great learning experience as it has allowed me to manage, plan and deliver multiple projects. It was overwhelming during Welcome week at first, but I enjoyed supporting new students with navigating their journey at king’s.
What did you work on during your internship?
I worked on different projects, mostly around Welcome to King’s Events. With my manager, I supported the delivery of Welcome to King’s by preparing necessary documents such as the QR Codes for Frequently Asked Questions. I also participated in training and managing Frontline Student Ambassadors to support enquiry management and Welcome help desks. Along with other interns, I worked on researching and benchmarking other universities’ student services to identify areas for development at King’s.
You were recently appointed to a full-time role in the team as a Frontline Student Services Officer. Congratulations! How was the application process for both roles and how did you prepare for your interviews?
For the internship position, I received an email from my faculty advertising a paid opportunity to work at King’s during the summer period. It was a straightforward and easy process. I decided to apply for the student services internship role. I was invited for an interview and luckily, I was able to secure the internship.
The opportunity was also advertised on King’s CareerConnect and you can also check out my article about navigating the platform to find paid opportunities like this.
For my full-time job, I applied through King’s jobs website. For the interview I prepared by looking at the Student News page to see what information was available relating to student services. I also followed the STAR method to prepare which allowed me to answer questions in a structured way.
How was the transition from your internship to Officer role, and what are you working on now?
It was a lot of training, but my colleagues have been supportive. I have been shadowing them on student cases and I have received a lot of support from my line manager as well.
Since the transition, I have picked up some of the officer duties whilst finishing my internship projects. I am continuing to work on projects such as a Student Ambassador Feedback Evaluation gathering feedback around Welcome to King’s. I have also started training in services delivery at the service desk and handling student enquiry cases.
Overall, I have received immense support from my colleagues and team to settle in the new role.
Why did you want to stay at King’s for your full-time role?
I studied MA Education Management, and my goal was to have a better understanding of higher education operations and management. Studying at King’s made me realise that the university has one of the largest international student communities. While working here I appreciated the commitment of King’s staff to deliver a better student experience across all departments. This further motivated me to continue working here to get a deeper insight. This experience allowed me to have Front line experience which enable me to build a better understanding of higher education institutions’ operations.
Overall, how would you describe your experience at King’s?
It has been a positive experience and have enjoyed my time at King’ both as a student and intern. My team has been supportive, and I have formed some good friendships that I am grateful for. I would recommend this opportunity to anyone interested in higher education operations and management.