Hi fellow PR 393ers!
I have just returned from a month in the UK, doing a full time internship with the UK Border Agency. This was a very full on but super interesting experience.
I was based in Croydon, in South London, at the Home Office buildings. The UK Border Agency deals with an enormous range of issues, from passports, immigration visas, asylum seeker applications, student visas, drug searches, airport laws, illegal immigrants and security for the London 2012 Olympics.
I was based in the Border Force Communications Team, where my role was to produce/edit the Border Force Weekly with one other Communications Officer, Caroline. I had my own desk, my own computer and was given a huge amount of responsibility.
During my time with the UKBA, the organisation was undergoing a number of significant changes, three primarily which were far reaching employment cuts, the amalgamation of Immigration and Customs and a full scale industrial strike. Needless to say, I was a rather busy bee!
My first week with the UKBA, I was sent up to Wales to interview a number of Immigration Officers regarding a training course they had just completed, which enabled them to be trained as Customs Officers. I was shown a knuckle duster the officers had seized earlier that day - very vicious looking!
My tasks included interviewing key personalities within the Agency, visiting the National Archives to research for an assignment and working in the Home Office Headquarters in Westminster, Central London one day a week.
I visited behind the scenes at Heathrow, and was able to sit on Immigration desks during the peak arrivals times. I also watched a man being screened for cocaine, aswell as a tour of the CITES (Department that seizes illegal entry of animals/animal products) Department.
The month was very full on and fast paced, but I felt I gained an invaluable insight into how PR works within such a large scale British government organisation. The dynamics were very interesting, not always consistent, as especially as I was there during an industrial strike, PR was an essential component to work through the problems.
I will follow with more information.
Jess
I have just returned from a month in the UK, doing a full time internship with the UK Border Agency. This was a very full on but super interesting experience.
I was based in Croydon, in South London, at the Home Office buildings. The UK Border Agency deals with an enormous range of issues, from passports, immigration visas, asylum seeker applications, student visas, drug searches, airport laws, illegal immigrants and security for the London 2012 Olympics.
I was based in the Border Force Communications Team, where my role was to produce/edit the Border Force Weekly with one other Communications Officer, Caroline. I had my own desk, my own computer and was given a huge amount of responsibility.
During my time with the UKBA, the organisation was undergoing a number of significant changes, three primarily which were far reaching employment cuts, the amalgamation of Immigration and Customs and a full scale industrial strike. Needless to say, I was a rather busy bee!
My first week with the UKBA, I was sent up to Wales to interview a number of Immigration Officers regarding a training course they had just completed, which enabled them to be trained as Customs Officers. I was shown a knuckle duster the officers had seized earlier that day - very vicious looking!
My tasks included interviewing key personalities within the Agency, visiting the National Archives to research for an assignment and working in the Home Office Headquarters in Westminster, Central London one day a week.
I visited behind the scenes at Heathrow, and was able to sit on Immigration desks during the peak arrivals times. I also watched a man being screened for cocaine, aswell as a tour of the CITES (Department that seizes illegal entry of animals/animal products) Department.
The month was very full on and fast paced, but I felt I gained an invaluable insight into how PR works within such a large scale British government organisation. The dynamics were very interesting, not always consistent, as especially as I was there during an industrial strike, PR was an essential component to work through the problems.
I will follow with more information.
Jess
