Marie-Claire Holmes

Area of work: Volunteer work organisation
Employer: Oxfam
Qualifications: BA business and management, Oxford Brookes University

I joined my employer after my final exams on a summer internship placement. My degree convinced me that I wanted to work in human resources (HR) but I also knew that I wanted to work for a charity so the internship at Oxfam was perfect because it combined both.

My job

Oxfam works to alleviate poverty through campaigning and fundraising. I work in HR in the trading department, which is responsible for the management of all the Oxfam shops. We rely on the work of volunteers so my job is to look after the website where people who want to volunteer can apply.

My key responsibility is to ensure that volunteers are taken on in an effective way. A typical day involves checking through my e-mails to see what applications have been sent in, finding an appropriate placement and responding with the details. I also deal with the other side of volunteering, helping my colleagues to advertise their positions and writing job descriptions.

I would definitely recommend completing an internship because it is a great way to gain exposure to the company and to learn how it operates. I have been able to network and meet people in different departments and there are also lots of opportunities to gain training.

Highs and lows

I will be leaving Oxfam when my internship finishes to go travelling but I hope to return to it again. I really enjoy my job and work with people who all have the same goal and actually want to be here. The department is very dedicated and hardworking but it is a fun environment to work in and the morale among my colleagues is high. It is great to know that the work I am doing is helping other people even if it is only in a small way.