La vie de stagiaire: my internship at MyFrenchLife™ – Sophia Marci-Anderson

After moving to France with my husband, I was looking for new career opportunities that would allow me to be flexible. I had always loved the ‘idea’ of writing, but I was completely ignorant of how to get started, or even if I would really be suited to a career in that field. I found some occasional freelance work writing content for a marketing company, but I wanted to stretch myself further.

I came across MyFrenchLife™ while looking for information about my new city, Lyon.MyFrenchLife™ - MyFrenchLife.org - La vie de stagiaire - My Internship - Sophia Marci Anderson

I started to read articles, and realised the site was full of interesting, informative and thought-provoking content about France. Being an expat and an avid Francophile, I signed up to be a member.

Can you be too old to start again?

While scrolling through all the articles, I noticed that MyFrenchLife™ has an internship program.

I was curious but assumed at 30 years old but with no real experience of writing I would be ineligible. I emailed Judy about becoming involved, and we spoke on Skype; I realised that not only was there no age or experience requirements but that she would be a valuable mentor.

I joined the team as an editorial intern for six months.

The internship – powers of collaboration, passion & technology

I wasn’t sure what to expect – working remotely from Lyon and being fairly new to the online world, I was interested to see how it would work, especially since the team was spread across the globe and in different time zones.

MyFrenchLife™ - MyFrenchLife.org - La vie de stagiaire - My Internship - Sophia Marci Anderson

I discovered that when everybody is passionate about collaborating it’s not hard to make something work!

as soon as you become an intern your opinion is valued.

And it really is a team effort – as soon as you become an intern your opinion is valued as much as the more experienced members, and you are expected to contribute your thoughts and ideas.

Courage & anxiety about becoming a student again

MyFrenchLife™ - MyFrenchLife.org - La vie de stagiaire - My Internship - Sophia Marci Anderson

I had to adjust to learning again, being graded and receiving feedback. That was probably my biggest challenge: getting used to being the new person and having to ask a lot of questions!

Through practical tasks, and with the support and encouragement of Judy and the other team members, I learned:-
– how to write for online audiences,
– how to optimise articles for SEO, and
– how to edit and give constructive feedback.

It took a few months to get into the swing of things, but I soon started to feel capable and competent, and I was able to take on more responsibilities.

Life changes – pivotal career impact

Seeing my writing (and my grades) improve gave me the confidence to make the decision to pursue a career in journalism, and I’m hoping to start a diploma in Journalism in the UK this September.

The internship has been pivotal in my decision to change career paths, and without the experience at MyFrenchLife™, I doubt I would have had the courage to go back to education.

…without the experience […] I doubt I would have had the courage to go back to education.

I would encourage anyone interested in writing, editing or communications to intern at MyFrenchLife™, whether you’re a student, graduate, blogger, or you’re looking to move into a new career. You will learn so much about what goes into crafting a great article, and the behind-the-scenes operations of a busy online magazine.

I’m really grateful for my time at MyFrenchLife™, and I’ll continue to be part of this fantastic, global, online community once my internship ends.

MyFrenchLife™ - MyFrenchLife.org - La vie de stagiaire - My Internship - View across Lyon


Click here to read more internship stories like this.


Are you our next intern? Either in Paris or where you are currently living? Click here to kick-start your dream career, and learn more about working with us… and here you can read experience stories of other former editorial interns.


All images courtesy of Sophie Marci-Anderson

 

About the Contributor

Sophia Marci-Anderson

Studying French at university led me to appreciate la vie française, as well as an excuse to consume French cheese and wine in the guise of cultural immersion. After moving from the UK to Lyon, I joined the MyFrenchLife™ team in 2016 as an editorial intern. You can find me on TwitterInstagram or my blog

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2 Comments

  1. Kathy Stanford Jul 3, 2017 at 1:26 PM - Reply

    Thanks for sharing your experience with us Sophia. I am much, much older than you and have similarly wondered if I am too old to be an intern. You mentioned “grades” in your article. Were these from study outside of your role at Mt French Life or part of your programme at My French Life?

    • Sophia Marci-Anderson Jul 3, 2017 at 2:21 PM - Reply

      Hi Kathy, The grades I was referring to are part of the internship. For example, you receive a mark out of ten and detailed feedback on every article you write or edit. If you have any more questions, let me know! Sophia

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