Internships in Tilburg!

This week we speak with Frederique. She studied communication at Fontys and did her internship in Tilburg. You don't have to leave the city to do an internship at a cool and educational company. Frederique tells how this period was and likes to share her tips.

At the time Frederique did her internship, she still studied Communication at the Fontys University of Applied Sciences in Tilburg. In the meantime she has graduated, she has her premaster Communication and Information Sciences in the pocket and after the summer she will start the master Business Communication and Digital Media at Tilburg University. Her internship was at TLF, which stands for Telecom Lifestyle Fashion. An office with about 20 employees at the Kraaivenstraat. Frederique came to this internship via fashionunited.nl. A clear website with a wide range of internships. Her preference was to stay in Tilburg and look for an internship here. It surprised her what fun internships are available here in the neighborhood and that you don't necessarily have to spend an hour on the train to learn a lot.

Why did you choose to do an internship in Tilburg? What are the advantages of this?

I really enjoyed being able to cycle to my internship. Because it was so close, I didn't have to think long when they asked me to work part-time after my internship while I was writing my thesis.

How long did you do an internship?

I did an internship for five months, two days a week. That's about 16 hours a week. This was from February through June 2019. After my internship, I was allowed to work two days a week. When I submitted my thesis it was three days a week.

What did your tasks consist of? Did you get a lot of responsibility?

My work consisted of supporting the marketing team where and when necessary. In addition to these support tasks, I had several projects of my own that I could fill in and lead myself. I was left very free, was given responsibility within these projects and there was always ear fand eye or my ideas. I really liked that!

What was the best moment during your internship?

The nicest project I was able to do was the collaboration between our own brand CLCKR and TOP-week. I came in with this idea on Monday morning and on Monday afternoon I had all the responsibility for the project including all the necessities at my disposal. I was allowed to arrange everything; from commissioning the design team to having it produced in China and from meetings with board members of TOP-week to arranging promoters and the after movie. I consider this to be one of the most instructive experiences of my graduation internship!

Would you still work for the company after your internship?

Yes, I really liked that during the summer holidays I could continue my project for CLCKR and TOP-week and stay an extra 7 months in total until I had to go back to school in February.

Do you have a nice anecdote about your internship/internship supervisor?

Not necessarily during my internship period, but right after that, we went to Ibiza for a weekend with the whole team! I was allowed to organize the trip and my boss gave me all the freedom. This was really the best weekend of my life, with an evening in Lío, two catamarans to Formentera, and the closing party at Amnesia!

What in particular did you learn during this period?

I learned two important things. First of all, I found out that I find it very important to work with colleagues who can get along well with each other. I was lucky with the people at the office where I worked, everyone was very nice, helpful, and above all fun. A good relationship with your colleagues ensures that the working week flies by. But in the end, of course, you do an internship to learn a lot and grow.

Something I certainly took with me to my further studies and which I can also use later on in the work field, is dealing with deadlines. Deadlines at work are different from the deadlines you get during your studies. You carry a lot more responsibility and there is no room for procrastination. I learned to deal well with important dates and deadlines that were set. I also had to make sure that other companies and parties kept to these deadlines. This was a good learning process for myself and gave me a glimpse of the real working life. I was never very strict with plans for my internship, but this internship helped me to learn this. I think and hope that after the summer it will also help me to complete my master's degree.

Do you have a tip for people who are looking for an internship or want to do an internship?

Look for a profession where your interests lie! Through an internship, you can discover whether you like the work, but it can also make you realize that the work might not be for you. Both insights are valuable when you are looking for a job!

Did you have an instructive, fantastic or special internship in Tilburg? Please let us know, we are happy to share your story.