Hi, I’m Ryan, and after graduating last summer with a degree in Italian & Spanish, I completed an internship working for Fenster Architectural Glazing as a marketing assistant.
Fenster is a Devon-based glazing specialist that largely focuses on ‘grand designs’ style projects across the southwest. The company manufactures, supplies and installs high-end aluminium solutions for both trade and commercial customers. I worked for the company for 16 hours a week between November 2024 and February 2025.
I failed my medical degree at Bristol University in 1988.
At the time it felt like the end of the world but now, looking back, I can see what I have learnt and gained from this.
I want to share my story with you, not because it is extraordinary, but rather because failure is often viewed as something shameful that needs to be hidden, potentially isolating those experiencing it. If you are a student at Bristol, in any subject, feeling the weight of failure or fearing it, I hope this helps.
Iris Fang, postgraduate student at the University of Bristol shares her experience with the Business School Micro-Internship.
Introduction: Why I Joined This Programme
As a postgraduate student in Management (International Business) at the University of Bristol, I was eager to gain hands-on experience in applying strategic thinking to real-world challenges. That is why I applied for, a short but intensive micro-internship supported and delivered via the Business School Careers Team.
Unlike a traditional internship, this programme placed me in a consulting team composed of students from across the Business School disciplines. The task was to develop a strategic growth plan for a social enterprise client, The Remakery Oxford, a creative organisation focused on sustainability, upcycling, and community engagement.
Project Experience: From Theory to Action
Our client, The Remakery Oxford, operates in the circular economy space, transforming waste materials into meaningful objects while building community resilience. As student consultants, we were asked to propose actionable strategies for the organisation’s future development.
My responsibilities began by conducting market and competitor research, then moved on to a situational analysis using SWOT and PESTLE frameworks. One of the highlights was applying the Ansoff Matrix to generate realistic growth scenarios across four strategic areas: market penetration, product development, market development, and diversification. I collaborated with teammates mapping stakeholder ecosystems (funding bodies and local partnerships, etc.), designing a volunteer engagement strategy and drafting a donor outreach plan based on mission alignment.
Through this project, I sharpened my strategic analysis, stakeholder mapping, and report writing skills. All while learning how to communicate across time zones and disciplines!
Reflection: Lessons and Impact
This experience was a strong reminder that purpose-driven businesses face complex, layered challenges, from operational constraints to market competition. One of the biggest surprises for me was realising how much community-based organisations rely not only on funding, but on volunteer sustainability and public awareness.
Professionally, this internship has helped me:
Gain first-hand exposure to the consulting process, from research to recommendation
Build confidence in delivering work for a real-world client
Deepen my understanding of sustainable business models and social impact strategy
…and most importantly: This project is also a great CV booster for me. I can stress it under “industry project” or “consulting experience” to demonstrate my ability to apply strategic tools in a real client service setting. In interviews, it provides an excellent STAR-style example (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to showcase the teamwork, problem solving and my understanding of the social enterprise model directly. So this project is really helpful in the interviews to build and describe my experience logically.
Advice for Future Participants
If you’re considering applying for the Business School Micro-Internship, here are a few tips:
Treat it like a real consulting project: deadlines, structure, and clarity matter
Be proactive in team communication, especially if you are working remotely
Don’t underestimate the value of small projects; this is real impact work
Whether you are interested in sustainability, consulting, or simply want to apply what you have learned in class to a practical setting, this experience will push you to grow.
The Business School Micro Internship is open to Masters students in the Business School and in 2025/6 is running in February and March. Complete an expression of interest to join this opportunity here.
Ever felt stuck in career limbo? Like you should be doing something to boost your CV, but you’re not sure what? That was me in first year.
I’m Youssef, a University of Bristol student and former Team Leader with 180 Degrees Consulting Bristol. Here’s my journey from Student Consultant to Team Leader.
I was doing well academically, but lectures weren’t giving me the full picture of working life. As someone keen to learn early on, I was always looking for opportunities to apply what I was studying.
180 Degrees Consulting is a student-run consultancy working with charities and social enterprises for free. Students get real consulting experience, and worthy causes get professional-level strategic advice they might not otherwise afford.
My Peer Mentor mentioned it during one of our catch-ups, thinking it might suit me given how eager I was for real-world experience. The best opportunities often come through conversations with people who know you well; exactly why I’d recommend the Peer Mentoring scheme.
Hi, I’m Maisie, a Senior Fire Engineer at OFR Consultants. Fire engineering is a discipline within the built environment – we work with clients, architects, engineers and consultants to bring buildings to life.
I was just starting my final year of an Integrated Masters in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bristol when I realised I needed to decide what I wanted to do next – and honestly I had no idea. I knew what I didn’t like, but wasn’t sure what I did like! I knew I liked talking to people and engaging with real world projects so I started looking at consultancy, found fire engineering by accident and it’s been the best career for me. I love my role and am so glad I ended up here, but looking back I wish I’d had a little confidence in my ‘soft skills’.
The Bristol Skills Accelerator (BSA) programme is designed to help students develop the workplace skills employers are looking for. Through four flexible online modules covering topics such as innovation, business models and leadership, you’ll build practical knowledge at your own pace, from campus or home.
Once you’ve completed the training, you’ll have the chance to apply what you’ve learned through a project placement with a real business or charity. Working in a small interdisciplinary team, you’ll spend around 70 hours across four weeks tackling real-world challenges, gaining valuable experience, and making a meaningful impact.
Thinking about what you want to do after you graduate can be daunting. So we’ve designed a new and exciting interactive course called ‘Explore Your Career‘, to take the stress out of it.
So we enlisted the help of Charlotte O’Brien, a student Careers Ambassador, to put our new course through its paces.
A side hustle is a way to make money outside of your primary job or studies. Side hustles are often freelance work but could include taking on short-term jobs or selling products or services online. Hear from recent graduate Keir, on how he ran a side hustle alongside his degree.
It’s the Student Volunteering Fair this week—a perfect time to explore how sharing your time can enable you to give back and also shape your future.
As well as helping others, volunteering is a brilliant way to meet new people, boost your CV, and support great causes. It can help you discover your values and what matters to you, which is a great way to kickstart your career thinking and shape your career goals.
It’s also a great way to build key skills for the workplace, so of course – volunteering can be used towards achieving your Bristol PLUS Award. To inspire you, we’ve asked PLUS Award achievers to share their volunteering stories.
