How To Use Your Internship To Make An Impact

Hi there! My name is Mandy and I graduated from the Flight Centre Travel Academy (FCTA) in 2019.

After 10+ years working in the legal industry, I completed the Diploma of Travel and Tourism, which enabled me to start up my own business named Adventures of Enchantment. My business has been a tool to expand upon my knowledge with programs designed for travel agents. My current goal, like many of you, is to get my foot in the door within the tourism industry.

I found out from a graduate support email that the Travel Academy was offering internships within its marketing, content and corporate social responsibility teams exclusively to its graduates. The benefits of studying with FCTA seem to continue long after graduation!

The chance of a professional networking opportunity was very appealing to someone like me trying to break into the tourism industry. Another big part of the appeal was the internship being able to be completed remotely; and with that came the advantage of working flexibly anytime and anywhere. The internship was a meaningful way to fulfill my time whilst my young son attended preschool and I was able to work around his hours. When it came to selecting which team to apply for, the content team appealed to me the most as the thought of finding out what new subjects should be developed in the course for future students was very exciting!

During the internship, my fellow interns and I:
● Gained an insight from stakeholders on how the course could be enhanced;
● Analysed research to define the needs of the stakeholders;
● Brainstormed ideas for new elective subjects;
● Created subject flyers for the new elective subjects;
● Received valuable feedback from stakeholders; and
● Presented our findings to those responsible for the development of the course.

When it came time for our final presentation, I felt confident that we would leave a lasting impression on our audience and the feedback we received afterwards felt amazing and made us so proud of our efforts! We inspired the people responsible for developing the course and future students could be studying the new elective subjects we came up with - how awesome is that?! To sum up the experience, there is no better feeling than accomplishing a project that you are passionate about!

From the internship, I achieved so much including:
● Recognition for my efforts from a global industry leader;
● An opportunity to apply and strengthen my skills;
● Professional feedback from industry employers;
● Valuable learnings about myself, both personally and professionally; and
● Now being able to identify and leverage my best professional attributes - passion, initiative and persistence.

On completion of the internship, I received a Certificate of Completion and a Letter of Recommendation from the Travel Academy. I also received great career advice from the Content Team Leader and was given further work opportunities!

My advice to you would be this: the ability to work within a team and resilience are two of the most important traits employees can have within the tourism industry. Keep this in mind whilst you develop and demonstrate these traits throughout the internship. A positive attitude, clear communication, an open mind and trust in your teammates are key to being successful. Use your passion for the industry to fuel your determination in producing an outcome that you and your teammates can be proud of.

You can make an impact so grasp the opportunity with both hands and give it your all - you only get out what you put in!