I came to Flow at the start of October 2018 after having completed my contact hours and course assessments for the Advanced Diploma of Business in Public Relations course at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.
One of the graduation requirements was to complete 160 hours as an intern at a PR agency. This year was the first year that students were offered the opportunity to complete their work placement internationally.
Flow’s PR head, Caroline Smith, had responded favourably months earlier after a teacher reached out to International Public Relations Association members to see if any of their workplaces were willing to take on a global intern. I’m extremely thankful that she was!
I chose Flow after being impressed by the agency’s oeuvre of work as showcased on its website. I was equally excited to experience how a communications agency functions in Johannesburg, the business and technology hub of South Africa.
On my arrival, I was warmly welcomed by an abundance of cheerful greetings and faces. From my very first day, I was thrown in at the deep end, but not without team members offering their help and expertise to ensure that I kept my head above water.
The month has seen me attending numerous meetings, team-building sessions, an awards event and movie media screenings, and working on media releases, communications strategies and presentation pitches. I’ve learned a great deal about a variety of clients in different sectors.
Before my placement at Flow, I was convinced that I wanted to work in PR. However, not having worked in the field, I was uncertain of my professional capabilities. My time as a Flowstar has taught me many valuable lessons, instilled a sense of greater personal understanding and has given me the confidence I need to go back home to secure a job as a PR practitioner.
My journey at Flow has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and one that I am immensely grateful for. The experience would not have been the same without the inspiring team I worked with closely, who truly made me feel like family.
