Written By Astrid O'Keeffe

I’m sure I won’t be the only one to say that 2020 has been the year of uncertainty and job instability, so when I was offered a three-month digital marketing internship in Dublin, I was beyond thrilled. I have been in Dublin for exactly one month and my experience has already been filled with new challenges and new memories.

Back in August, Future Learning Language School kindly offered me a place to work with their marketing team of one, to assist in updating the website, improving their SEO, and coming up with new and original ideas for their social media platforms. Already I have picked up a plethora of marketing terminology and a basic understanding of content creation for websites. When arriving in Dublin, myself and the other marketing interns were told to quarantine for two weeks in our student accommodation, which was a shame because we were all so excited to explore this vibrant new city. Of course, I started working from home the second day after arrival where I was introduced to the team, my manager, and the tasks I will carry out. Before I arrived in Dublin, I made a list of goals that I would hope to achieve in terms of progressing my career in digital marketing, to help keep me on track and ensure that I am getting the very best experience.

After two weeks of quarantine, we were finally allowed to explore the city and start working from the office. The first day I was greeted by some friendly teachers who were happy to help me out if I had any queries or questions. Instantly I felt welcomed and that I had been there more than I had. I started by completed an SEO and social media strategy course on HubSpot Academy, to help improve my knowledge and to adapt my learning into practice. These courses and certifications were also a great way to help boost my C.V. and LinkedIn profile.

 Making New Friends

I went into this internship with an open mind. I was able to meet loads of students from all over the world. Spain, Brazil, Argentina and Italy. Seeing how the teachers help these students integrate into the world of work and develop their English language skills is intriguing and was also the main focus for new content ideas for the school’s social media platforms. There were a few students who were happy to answer some questions I had about their experience living in Dublin and learning a new language which helped shine the school in a positive light on social media.

My marketing manager and other co-workers are what have made this internship enjoyable. They understand that I am fairly new with working on more in-depth marketing roles and so help keep me on track to achieve the goals that I set earlier, by giving me valuable work regular feedback that will contribute to both my career growth and the schools.

With only two months left in Dublin, I know that I will leave this internship with a much broader range of marketing knowledge as well as plenty of new memories that I have made with some wonderful people. There is still so much more of Dublin I hope to see and activities to do such as visiting the Book of Kells and Malahide Castle and Gardens. I highly recommend interning in Dublin and if you are new to digital marketing, finding short work placements is the ideal way to start your career in this industry.

I am also hoping to network with a variety of people during my time in Ireland, so feel free to follow me on my social media platforms for more internship and digital marketing blogs.

My website: https://www.didiagency.com

LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/astridokeeffe

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astridaokeeffe