Curious about what it’s like to intern with My English Sister? From crafting creative digital marketing campaigns to teaching English to French children, the experience is as diverse as it is rewarding. Although no two days are the same, in this article I’m going to take you through what to expect from a typical week as an intern at My English Sister.
You’ll get an insider’s view of the tasks, responsibilities, and rewarding moments that make this internship so special. So, if you're thinking about joining our team, read on to find out exactly what you can expect!
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A typical MES morning
Where and when?
As an intern at MES, the mornings are dedicated to the business side of the role, so for me, digital marketing. On Monday mornings, the interns and apprentices get together to work in the coworking space ‘Le R Gerland’, and on Tuesdays the whole team meets here for our weekly catch-up. These mornings provide the opportunity to do any more hands-on collaborative work that you may need to do, or simply enjoy a free coffee and a pastry and get on with some work independently.
Thursday and Friday mornings have a similar layout, but instead you work from home on similar tasks. This doesn’t mean you can’t still work collaboratively, as the rest of the team are just a message away, and Google Meets can be easily arranged.
What?
As I mentioned, the mornings allow me to work on my tasks related to digital marketing. Typical tasks for me currently include: creating short-form content for Tik-Tok and Instagram reels, working on the design of main feed posts for Instagram, writing articles for the blog, reviewing digital marketing strategy, and planning and creating the social media marketing for upcoming events. For me, these tasks allow a perfect balance of being creative, such as through Tik Tok and reels, whilst also learning and streamlining some very specific and important digital marketing skills, such as how to maintain a consistent brand image and learning to use editing and creative softwares and applications.
How?
If you’re scared that you have no experience in digital marketing - don’t be. Before starting this internship I’d never made a Tik-Tok, and had very little experience in Canva. The MES team, in particular Katy, are there to help you no matter how small the query, offering valuable feedback to quickly progress in your digital marketing skills. The team understands that you are here to learn, and allows you time to slowly build up skills and work on tasks, giving you detailed and constructive feedback that sees your skills progress in no time at all. If you’re interested in learning about digital marketing, but are worried about experience levels, don’t let this put you off! As long as you have an open mind and are willing to learn, this internship is the perfect opportunity for you.
A typical MES afternoon
Where and when?
After working in the morning, I enjoy a long lunch break. This allows me time to travel back home, have a relaxing lunch, plan any content for my teaching session, and finally travel to the afternoon teaching session. Before starting my internship, I was asked details of where I was staying, and also the age range of children which I generally prefer working with. MES really take on board the information you give them, in order to match you up with the best families for you. Typically, an afternoon session will start at around 4:40, when the schools in France finish. I collect the children from school, and then have a couple of hours to do some English with them.
What?
Depending on what the families want, the sessions can range from being more structured, dedicating time to work with one child and then time for another, or you can be more fluid, and see what the children are responding to best on the day. It’s really important that you go into each session with an open mind that is flexible to change, as MES proposes fun sessions, which are different from learning English in a classroom. It is also super important that you enjoy working with children - these sessions take place after a long day of school for the children, so they can be tired, but if you bring the right energy and enthusiasm this really makes a difference.
Personally, I find it a really nice contrast to the work which I do in the morning, and, moreover, working with children is always a really nice way to distract and amuse yourself, especially if you are missing home, as they always have something entertaining to tell you! Some of my personal favourite activities include arts and crafts, reading, colouring and playing the MES board games.
How?
Although experience working with children is preferred for this internship, you do not need to have taught in the past! My previous experience working with children was in a Summer Holiday Camp, so I knew very little in terms of pedagogy. Again, MES are incredibly supportive in this aspect, offering training which specifically teaches you how to use the MES resources in an interactive and engaging way, in order to teach English to a range of abilities.
If you ever feel stuck with a particular family, or are having trouble with any of the children, Katy and Charlotte are always there to help, and moreover the families themselves are open-minded to new strategies if you feel that the current format isn’t working.
But what about Wednesdays?
If you have been reading closely, you may have noticed that I have not yet mentioned the work I do on Wednesdays. In France, there is no school for younger children on Wednesdays, and therefore our MES families have a lot more demand for brothers and sisters! Your schedule can vary, but generally you will either look after one family for the whole day or, like me, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Wednesdays can be long, and provide a new challenge of having to keep children entertained for much longer periods of time, so again it is important to enjoy working with children! However, one advantage to these long sessions is that you can take your sessions up a level, even proposing outings to the families, teaching the children English whilst exploring exciting new places.
I always find Wednesdays are a really nice way to break up the week, meaning I can go into my digital marketing work on Thursday and Friday with a fresh mind.
The weekend
After a week of work at MES, let’s not forget about one of the most exciting parts of doing the internship - getting to live in and explore the incredible city of Lyon! I usually use the weekend both as an opportunity to wind-down after the week, but also to visit all of the amazing places that Lyon has to offer. What’s more, as the digital marketing intern, this is the perfect opportunity to get inspiration for potential social media content for the forthcoming weeks.
My main piece of advice for the weekends would be to remember that not much is open in France on a Sunday, so really make the most of your Saturdays, and then you can take Sunday as a chance to relax and recharge.
Are you interested?
Are you looking for an internship opportunity for your year abroad? We still have opportunities available for January 2025, and for the forthcoming academic year. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us, either via email - jobs@myenglishsister.com, or dm us on our Instagram or Tik Tok! Don’t forget that we also offer internships in Pedagogical Development, HR, and Legal Compliance. For further information about the internship, visit our website - or if you think you are ready to apply, apply here!
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