Intern at Oxley
Hey everyone, Lachie here.
I Just completed an internship here at Oxley as part of my final semester at university and thought I could share a few insights about my time being back at the College. There are a few questions that I’ve answered from Amberley, one of my (very nice and funny and smart) supervisors, so let’s go.
What years did you attend Oxley?
I was at Oxley from the second half of Year 4 all the way until I finished Year 12, so from 2012 to 2020. I was actually part of one of the first set of students taken into the junior school when it was first built, which is kind of crazy to think about.
What have you done since you left school?
Once I left, I basically went straight to university. I originally got accepted into an accounting degree at Macquarie University, which I did for about a year. After that, I decided that accounting wasn’t really for me, and that I would be better suited to writing articles rather than analysing debits and credits. So, I transferred degrees to a Bachelor of Media and Communications (also at Macquarie), majoring in Journalism and Non-Fiction Writing, of which I’m now in my final semester. I also got a job in retail so I could make some money for when I finish university. I’ve been doing my degree mostly online, with one semester staying on campus. Aside from that, I’ve just been enjoying my final few years of relative freedom, before I go out and get a 9-5 next year.
Tell me a little about your time here as an intern at Oxley.
I’ve been a part of the Marketing and Communications Team here at the college for 70 hours, completing an internship as part of my degree. But what that means, really, is being Amberley’s lackey, getting coffee and tea for staff and running their personal errands (I don’t know how many different places I’ve been to collect teachers’ dry-cleaning).
Jokes aside, working for Amberley and Emma has offered me a great insight into the media world outside of assessment and essays. I’ve been doing a range of media-and-communications-related activities throughout my time here. My tasks have mainly consisted of writing articles for the school, capturing content around the school for events and putting it all together to create social media posts and content for the Pin Oak magazine. Additionally, I was able to create some content for the Head of College Scott Bedingfield’s presentations inside this edition of Pin Oak, which I’m actually pretty proud of. I also got to go to a staff morning tea, and it was interesting to see what goes on in the staffroom where I couldn’t go all those years ago. It’s been really good to get some first-hand experience in my future field, and I’m feeling quite a bit more prepared for work than before I started my internship. It has also been really convenient to not have to credit every single word I write in a Harvard or APA referencing style.
What has changed since you were here? What’s stayed the same?
When I first walked in on my first day, it brought me way back to when I used to come to school as a student every day. There have been quite a few changes since I left, being the new art classrooms, revamped junior school and I’ve seen a few new teachers. The Monash lockers have been moved near the toilets now, so I found that a little disrespectful to my old house. It’s also a lot different being on the teachers’ team now, rather than on the kids’ team. I guess not having to wear school uniform helped a bit with that.
On the other hand, it doesn’t really seem like much has changed at all, at least in the three years I’ve been away. Most of the other classrooms are basically the same since I left, so it was nice to revisit some of the spots where I used to pretend to concentrate in class. It’s also been great to see a bunch of my old teachers; Mr Clewett, Mr Chambers, Mr and Mrs Simpson, Mrs McVean and Mr Marnoch, just to name a few. Having called them ‘sir’ and ‘miss’ for about 5 years, it was strange to address my former superiors by their first name:
“Hey Bill.” and “Hi Jo.” just didn’t feel right.
What do you hope to do in the future?
In all honesty, I still don’t know exactly what I want to do after I finish university. I was thinking I might take a year off from study, as I didn’t take a gap year, and just continue to work and get some money. But I could also try and go straight into a 9-5 after I graduate. I think I’d eventually like to end up in something that involves tasks like I’ve been doing during this internship. Or maybe something different. I have no clue.
I guess it all depends on how I feel at the end.
In any case, I greatly appreciate Emma and Amberley’s efforts, as well as the rest of the staff, to accommodate me for the internship, given that it was set up on such late notice. I hope that I have been of use to you both throughout the 70 hours that I’ve completed. I know that I’ve learned a great deal during my time back at school, and certainly feel better-equipped for my endeavours beyond tertiary education.
I didn’t think I would, but I did enjoy my time back at school, seeing new and old faces, and getting some real-world work experience.
Thanks to everyone involved, and thanks for reading.
Lachie.