Internship Advice: How to Take Your First Steps to Working For a Creative Agency

August. A month synonymous with long days, hopes for sunshine… and for students up and down the country, it’s a nail-biting wait for their results to land.

Articles and social feeds become littered with well-intended advice on managing the nerves around results day, what happens to someone if it doesn’t go their way, and more importantly, how do they bounce back.

For those chasing a future in the vibrant world of the creative industry and starting to think about what their first move is, at risk of contributing to the noise about results, please know that those letters or numbers on that slip of paper will not influence your entire future or limit your chances.

The future can still be bright

As any seasoned creative will tell you: the path to a career in the industry is (excitingly) not linear. It will be paved with building connections, pivoting and changing direction, and crucially: internships.  

Here at Grey London, our internship is a huge source of pride for many. It started long before I joined the studio and it’s an honour to contribute a very small part to this incredible legacy that has welcomed over 100 interns into our agency.

Their success, and the importance of grass-root career experiences, have allowed us to evolve the shape of the programme: we have more roles available, placements last for three months, we can give exposure to more departments, capabilities in the studio, and importantly they are open to everyone.

Qualifications, prior experience or industry contacts do not come into our application process. 

As you take your first steps into exploring the opportunities, the first challenge is figuring out where to look. As I sat down to write this article, I did a few cursory searches to see how readily opportunities come up in our industry and it’s not always simple to piece together. Thank goodness then for people like Sara Pintado (D&AD), who has brought together the ultimate guide for where to go job hunting in our industry. It signposts where there are apps, sites and networks to sign-up to and start your search.

Once you’ve found a few opportunities you like the look of, it’s time to go a level deeper and get to know the agencies you’re applying to.

Familiarise yourself with their work, and don’t be afraid to have an opinion on it, and share that point-of-view. Get to know their people: agency’s social channels will give you that ‘backstage pass’ to what it’s like culturally to work there and will often share more content in the build-up to their internships opening up – you might even stumble across some tips for your application too.   

An intern's advice

Admittedly, we’re now going to jump a few steps forward and reflect on how to make the most of the internship itself.

Mateo Teniente, who joined as in Intern in 2023 and is now a junior planner, has shared some of his pearls of wisdom to help make the most of the opportunity:

• Learn. Remember that this is primarily an opportunity for you to learn. You’re not expected to know everything, or even anything, so throw yourself into the learning process. Try and get as much advice and knowledge from the people around you as possible, and ask all of the questions you have! It’s cliché, but be a sponge!

• Adopt. As well as learning how and why things work they way they do. I'd encourage you to adopt the best practices, habits, and styles. If you notice that someone interrogates a brief well, has a great way of problem solving or is a fantastic presenter, then think about the traits and skills you can copy from them. And once you’ve figured out what they do well, add it to your arsenal.

• Be Yourself. We all have our own life experiences, opinions, interests, and these are what make us who we are. These have also landed you the internship. So, trust in yourself and bring your thoughts to the table. Different ideas and perspectives aren’t weird. They’re cool. 

• Look After Yourself. All this learning and work to impress can be a lot. So, make sure to rest up and enjoy your time outside of work.  It’s a marathon not a sprint. 

Finally, and always remember, you've got this.

Think of internships as your backstage pass to the creative world. They offer a glimpse behind the curtain, a chance to witness the magic firsthand.

At the right agency, you'll be invited to participate, learn the ropes, and contribute your own unique voice.

Sally Vincent is the head of people for Grey London and Mateo Teniente is a junior planner.