Balancing a Marketing Internship while studying in Oxford

Janek Bielski is currently studying at The International College as well as working as an intern for Paul Sinclair. He has been at St Clare’s since September and he is due to return to his home institution University of San Diego in January. On the 1 December 2017, he took over St Clare’s Instagram to showcase a day in the life of a St Clare’s student. We sat down with Janek to found out how he balanced his Marketing Internship while studying in Oxford.

Why did you choose St Clare’s?

I chose St Clare’s because I was born and raised in Kingston Upon Thames in South West London and I wanted the opportunity to come back to the UK. St Clare’s was the best option for me and I heard great things from my peers from my home institution, The University of San Diego about their experiences at St Clare’s and I wanted to try it out for myself! St Clare’s offered the opportunity to complete a Marketing Internship while studying in Oxford which is a great fit for me as I’m a liberal arts student looking for a well-rounded study abroad experience.

How have you found your time here in Oxford?

Oxford is a great city. I think as a student it has everything you need to self-sustain, great restaurants and a good nightlife. My accommodation has been excellent. I have been at a homestay therefore living with a family which has been wonderful and they have been very accepting and welcoming. They have been really kind and I have had everything I need.

What do you study and what are the classes like?

I’m majoring in Communications Studies and my minor is in Leadership Studies. My classes here are quite different than in my home institution in that they are extremely small, it’s a smaller community which I personally function better in as opposed to large lectures and seminar courses. It’s a much more intimate academic environment and I think I have benefited greatly from it so far.

What is the difference between life here and in America?

A lot of things. I think in a cultural sense the UK and the US are very different as far as humour and mannerisms. I think one of the biggest differences is being exposure to people from different cultures here at St Clare’s, it being such an international college. I don’t get that back home in San Diego as most people are either from the US or Canada.

Talk to me about your Marketing Internship.

I started my internship in September under Paul Sinclair in the capacity of a digital marketing role. My role really varied from website development to search engine optimisation. I looked at a lot of print media with how to improve the print media that St Clare’s already has and how best to market St Clare’s as an academic institution and ultimately as a product.

You took over St Clare’s Instagram for a day? Can you tell me about this?

Last Friday (1st December) I took over the St Clare’s Instagram, meaning I went on the page for a day and documented through the Instagram story feature what a day in the life of a St Clare’s student was like. This consisted of taking viewers around Oxford to some of its most notable locations. This included the Radcliffe Camera, the university church steps to view the panoramic views of Oxford, a classic pub lunch at The Turf Tavern and then to some of the colleges in which Harry Potter was filmed. Various quintessential Oxford endeavours were encompassed in my Instagram live day.

What made you want to take over St Clare’s Instagram?

I felt that by analysing St Clare’s content and their marketing initiatives the one thing that really lacked was user driven content and more authentic content from students themselves. So I thought it would be interesting to see what student life was like and Oxford life was like directly from the student, which is why I chose the Instagram day.

How have you found your internship overall?

The internship has been great. I think Paul has been a great mentor to me and working just one on one with him has been beneficial to my growth and my advancement.

Are you glad you came to St. Clare’s where you could complete a Marketing Internship while studying in Oxford?

I am! I don’t think there are many other places that would have allowed me to tick both of those boxes as far as studying simultaneously while competing my internship. It’s been a great advantage being in such a small learning community and this helped me accomplish both.

The best thing about St Clare’s?

I think the people and how small and intimate a campus and atmosphere it has. You really get to know everybody on a personal scale and you make really good and deep friendships that will last for a long time.

Find out more about Liberal Arts here

Read more about University Pathways