Mi liberty intern, Myia Fray, talks about her time with Mi liberty and how it has helped her take the first steps to a future PR career.

If you had asked me a year ago what PR was, you would have been met with a blank face. If you had asked me how I felt about telecoms and technology, you may have been met with an even blanker one. A year on, a few BlackBerrys (mainly lost and damaged along the way), a Twitter account, and a few weeks of interning at a top London technology PR agency, and I am a changed woman.

When I arrived on my first day at the Mi liberty office I was unbelievably nervous. By the end of my first day I realised I had little to be nervous about. As a welcome, the team gathered at the pub for a drink at lunch. After work, I was invited to drinks arranged with some journalists and on the Friday we gathered together for the company’s ‘Live@Five’ session where the whole team got together to discuss the week’s highlights. In just one week my perception of the workplace had changed. What of the long, tiresome days? It would turn out that this was a place where the staff seemed to have a lot of fun and also demonstrate considerable prowess and pride in their work and achievements.

Throughout my time with the company, I felt supported by the team and each day I was presented with an activity different from the last. Some tasks were more exciting than others, but all proved to be a learning experience I wouldn’t have been able to access any other way. The team were also sensitive to the fact that I was new to PR and the telecoms industry and made me feel comfortable in asking for help and advice. I was invited along to talks and their weekly ‘lunch and learn’ sessions. From these I picked up a lot of additional information and made sure to take notes along the way. I was fortunate enough to play a role in constructing press releases, joining briefings with clients, researching media, press and other information for clients and the company. I was even included in brainstorming sessions, from which I learnt how strategy was formulated and how a project worked from conception. My input was welcomed and it gave me an opportunity to be creative as well as attentive.

Being asked to come in as an intern was a blessing. It presented me with an invaluable opportunity to gain insight into PR and how a successful agency operates. It has provided me with an excellent starting point and it has afforded me the confidence to progress with a career in marketing and PR. I am no longer daunted by the idea of being inexperienced and moreover, I managed to meet and work alongside many great and talented people. I was sad to leave, but hope to maintain the relationships I built whilst continuing to build upon the foundations for a career set by Mi liberty.