The value of internships as a doctoral learning mode

Karen Gordon is a 3^rd-year PhD student in The School of Education completing a psychology thesis on stress experiences in the PGR population. She is the outgoing PGR Events Intern for 22-23. Rachel Eager is a PhD Candidate in Comparative Literature researching Vogue magazine and emblematics. She is the outgoing PGR Communications Intern. 

In this post they both discuss and reflect their role as interns within Research Culture and Researcher Development Team in the Research Services Directorate at the University of Glasgow, and how the roles have helped them access the Hidden Curriculum of Doctoral Learning (Elliot et al, 2020; p28). 

The Hidden Curriculum: 

In this reflective blog post, we are utilising the ‘REPAIRS’ Model (Elliot et al, 2020; p28) to discuss how we have been able to access the Hidden Curriculum through our internship roles, and the value of this, to our development as researchers. Our roles as interns have been unique, in that we have been able to access the Hidden Curriculum through two distinct spaces: via our staff/professional networks and within the PGR community. This has provided us with multiple lessons, experiences, skills, knowledge and communities which we have fostered over the last 14 months. The REPAIRS model, developed originally to describe international PGR learning, is fitting in this context as it prompts examination of learning in spaces where one feels like a foreigner or visitor. We suggest that an internship in university services, with their own specific vocabulary, language patterns, professional  goals, markers of esteem, and norms of day-to-day business, might be seen and understood as a ‘sojourn’ into foreign territory “within the context of separation from significant others … and forming new relationships in the host country to sustain needs for emotional, social and psychological support” (Elliot et al, 2020; p28).

Below, we utilise the REPAIRS (Receptivity, Embrace, Passion, Active Engagement, Innovation, Routine, Self-Reflection) model as a vehicle to map our reflections over our internship as a whole and discuss benefits and challenges within this.  

Receptivity: 

Karen: I applied for this internship as I have a strong belief in the power of community – which is supported by the theory of the Hidden Curriculum and the benefits that a strong sense of community can bring both personally, academically, and professionally to PGRs. Having an opportunity to engage in the PGR community more directly appealed to me. I also believe that striving for an excellent research culture requires voices from multiple perspectives to be taken into consideration. As a disabled PGR who is self-funding, I wanted to bring a fresh perspective in terms of accessibility to our PGR events and add to the amazing work that has been completed before me.  

Rachel: This internship appealed to me as I wanted to be involved in organising and running events for PGRs. I could see a real need for informal community activities. Following the work of previous interns, I saw their direct impact on PGRs via running writing retreats and hosting PGR walks and I wanted to get involved. I felt the role played to my strengths but did not fully appreciate the level of technology-upskilling I would gain. For example, I stepped out of my comfort zone building websites, which was a real personal achievement for me and a moment of professional development too. 

Embrace: 

Rachel: One of the larger and more challenging aspects of the role was learning how to say no and when. This role could be much larger, and it was crucial to identify what to say yes and what to say no to. I was supported by senior colleagues via a ‘how to say no’ padlet which is essentially a roadmap to follow while making this decision. This has greatly impacted me concerning my wider research, teaching responsibilities and every single aspect of the PhD from abstracts and proposals to societies and committees. Through the role, I have learned to understand that I cannot add value to everything in a meaningful way, there are roles suited to other people and by saying yes to everything leaves me little time for myself, or for the projects I have said yes to. 

Passion:  

Karen: My personal passion for accessibility and inclusion within Higher Education supported me in tailoring the internship in navigating event delivery. As a disabled student, I have often found that this has impacted my ability to engage with events at previous institutions – having many in-person events can be extremely taxing on energy. In being able to tailor certain events throughout the year into hybrid or online formats alongside face-to-face events, I supported accessibility for all PGRs. This was also something I aimed to consider for the international student population and PGRs on field work. For example, in making 3-Minute Thesis an online event this year, we had multiple entries from PGRs who would not have been able to engage otherwise; one competitor even Zoomed in from a beach in the Dominican Republic on fieldwork this year. It was joy for everyone to support their engagement and also hear the birds in the background singing! The passion I have brought to the internship this year I believe has been rooted in a praxis of care – for myself and my team, but mainly for the PGR community. Being able to utilise this to liaise with the PGR community, support PGRs online or in-person and develop and deliver events which they have enjoyed is the thing I have been most proud of throughout the last 14-months.  

Rachel: I came into the intern role determined to foster inclusion for both home and international students in a fluid way. This came from having lived abroad and from a variety of teaching experiences – to me, we’re all just grown-up middle-schoolers who benefit from being supported and encouraged. One project I initiated was our PGR bookshelf: a bookshelf that acts as a constant and always available space for PGRs to read non-academic books, allowing them time to relax and think of something other than their PhD while also giving them something else to talk about. 

Active Engagement: 

Karen: Being both a member of staff and PGR has at times been tricky. Being viewed as a member of staff by fellow PGRs can feel like it builds a level of expectation which can feel hard to reach. Whilst being a member of staff on a fractional internship contract, and feeling like you cannot engage with your team as much as you would like to due to time restraints, builds internalised expectations on the reverse side. Being able to identify these dynamics within my active engagement in both communities over the past year has been an interesting space to navigate. Whilst not always easy, it has provided a depth of knowledge into how I engage in different spaces, and what the challenges are in each. In being able to identify these, it provides excellent insights into active engagement as both a PGR and member of staff, providing perspectives on each. This has been useful to me in my reflections on how we listen to voices within the PGR community as well as the pros and cons of Internship roles within Higher Education more generally. Despite these challenges, navigating two Hidden Curriculum spaces at once has also provided double the benefits. We have been able to immerse ourselves more fully into PGRs spaces from across colleges, and also become part of a professional team. It has been a genuinely wonderful experience and one I am very grateful to have been a part of.  

Innovation: 

Karen: There have been multiple spaces of innovation I have been able to access over the last 14-months. Conversations with colleagues have inspired me to look towards different career trajectories – hugely changing my long-term outlook on ‘what’s next?’. This aspect of the Hidden Curriculum has been able to be accessed due to the passion, empathy and expertise held by existing members of staff; and their kind willingness to share this. Although aspects of this can be made available more formally (see the Pathfinder Narratives Series), the informal conversations with colleagues willing to share their knowledge and experiences have been just amazing. I have been completely inspired to widen my horizons when looking at my future career – as working alongside professional services colleagues and speaking to them more, has shown me how they support PGRs on a daily basis. Which I now believe is something I wish to strive towards too.

Routine:  

Rachel: I will miss Monday mornings. The internship provided me with a standard structure for every single Monday morning: attend catch up meetings and set my weekly agenda. This set the tone for the week and allowed me to understand how to manage my time on a larger scale. The team itself focuses heavily on embodying the positive research culture they seek to create: “taking breaks to make breakthroughs”, taking annual leave and not working weekends. This has hugely influenced my own research patterns and working culture. 

Karen: Having a sense of structure has been very beneficial for me. One benefit of PGR work is that it is predominantly flexible – but the downside of this is that without a sense of routine and structure, mental health can easily suffer. This has been hugely boosted for me by being in such good contact with both my direct and wider team. I am going to miss this very much! 

Self-reflection:  

This role has really opened our eyes and minds to other possibilities beyond the PhD. Being a part of the team, we have seen first-hand, options open to us, and beyond this, have been able to speak directly to team members about their career, the route and how we can do this ourselves. We understand that research is not the only route for us post PhD: there are many roles within Research Services, it’s simply about being open, curious and going in search of these other possibilities. We’re both really excited to see where our career takes us, thank you so the Research Services Directorate for opening this path for us.