CAPA WORLD

This was an internship that almost did not happen, but Jessica's glad she changed her mind. In this week's post, she talks about interning at the Screen Directors Guild of Ireland and what she did to achieve her professional goals there. She also gives us some insight about the Global Internship Workshop she took alongside her internship and how that prepared her for the Irish working culture and future career endeavors.

Over the course of this past semester, I held an internship with the Screen Directors Guild of Ireland. This internship encompassed a lot of tasks, and I have gained numerous valuable skills that will hopefully help me to secure a job in the future. When I first applied for the CAPA program, I debated not doing an internship, but now I am so grateful that I did. My internship title was project manager, and I had various responsibilities. Some of the main things I organized were speed networking and screening events, podcasts, and many other office responsibilities. We sent an Irish director to LA and I was in charge of the itinerary and meetings. I also helped to produce a podcast with screen directors in collaboration with RTÉ, Ireland’s national broadcaster.

I had the chance to go to a panel on Irish documentaries at the Irish Film Institute.

These are just a few of the highlights that made it worth going in every day. It was always busy, but it helped me to learn how to prioritize my time to choose what needed to get done first. I also had the chance to get an inside look at what goes into being a film director, such as how films get funded in Ireland and how these directors got their start. I also got to meet many of these wonderful directors. My supervisor, Birch, was great to work with and I learned so much through her as well.

The preparations for the 4 'Directors in Dialogue' podcasts I produced.

Along with the internship, we took a Global Internship Workshop with our professor, Darren Kelly. Through this class, we talked about what would be different in the workplace between the United States and Ireland, so there were no surprises when we started to intern. This class helped us to use our study abroad experience to our advantage, because this experience stands out on a resume.

The quote I kept at my desk!

International internships and studying abroad are beneficial for standing out from other applicants for other internships, jobs, and graduate schools. Toward the end of the semester, we had a mock interview to put these skills to the test. We submitted our job description, CV, and cover letter to our professor, and they were used for another professor at the school to give our mock interview. At our final dinner, the winner of who would be picked for their job would be announced.

The Breadwinner was a very successful Irish animation film.

Another class for our internship consisted of a tour around the docklands in Dublin. Darren told us about the history of the Celtic tiger, or period of the economic growth in Ireland, and about the downfall. He explained the housing crisis in Dublin to our class, and also took us see where the Facebook and Google European Headquarters were located. This was super interesting and helpful in learning about the people of Ireland and understand more of Irish culture.

Working hard in our Global Internship Workshop.

Having an internship in Dublin gave me such a wide perspective on the world, and I learned a lot of the culture through the workplace in Ireland. The Global Internship Workshop was a great supplement to have, so we were not thrown into the workplace blindly. An international internship is going to stick with me throughout my life, as the skills I have gained will help me immensely when I begin a career.

Thanks, Jessica!

Jessica Kisluk is an official CAPA blogger for fall 2018, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Broadcasting and Mass Communication major at  SUNY Oswego, she is studying abroad in Dublin this semester.

See more of Jessica's journey in Dublin.