Internship in IHS, Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies

It’s been 1 year since I came to the Netherlands. I did first Erasmus + exchange in HU University of Applied Sciences, Utrecht where I decided to apply for internship in the Netherlands. I found a nice and respected institution from Rotterdam Erasmus University and decided to give it a try.

IHS, in a previous name “Bouwcentrum”, was established in 1958 during the post-World War II period, to help in reconstructing destroyed Rotterdam. The institution joined Erasmus University Rotterdam in 2004. IHS offers education programmes, such as the MSc. In Urban Management and Development, the PhD programme in Urban Development and Governance, and postgraduate courses. IHS also provides advisory and training services and conducts research in various fields, directly related to urban management. (www.ihs.nl 2018)

My work tasks as a marketing & communications intern varied a lot. The job consisted of 50% marketing & communications and 50% of admission office work, which both were executed in daily tasks. The job required high level of written and verbal English, high independence, capability for multitasking and adaptation on quickly changing environment.

In marketing office I created advertising materials with templates (InDesign and Photoshop), updated social media channels, updated blog, I was a part of organising events and workshops, took photos, emailed staff and students, used CRM, Microsoft Office tools and different administrative tasks. I was also in charge of workplace Intranet (Igloo, 100+ users) and trained new workers to use it.

In admission office I imported applications (SuperOffice CRM), sent admission and rejection letters, updated databases, made templates and used them on marketing, answered queries from students (phone or at office), emailed and updated leads etc. Management skills improved while training other interns in using CRM.

IHS marketing department is multicultural and a modern, fast forward and always aiming for better results. The most of my colleagues were young and nice to work with. Some of my work tasks changed during the internship, however I got a good guidance to help in this path. I felt that I was one of the colleagues, instead of an intern. Sometimes work was demanding and rushed, but it also thought me to work in a busy environment and organise work tasks. Everyone in the institution knew each other and were like a big family. I would recommend working in IHS, if you like to have a versatile job, responsibilities and ability to work independently. IHS is a really nice place to work at and I will definitely implement the skills I gained in the future working life.