Marketing Intern Testimontials

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NATASHA HENRIKSSON

Content Marketing Intern

What brings me to Japan

I am a currently a student participating in a study abroad program at a university located in the Kanagawa prefecture. I arrived in the fall of 2018 and plan to head back home to finish my degree around the summer of 2019, so about 1 year. I really like how different Japan is from back home, it’s like living in a new world. But there is also plenty of things which remind me of home when I feeling homesick.

Why did you choose a marketing internship at BFF Tokyo

I was very attracted to the bright and international community which BFF Tokyo promotes. It looked like a very welcoming environment and through my time here I have been proved right! Their main business, One Coin English is a fast growing English school with over 7 locations and was even featured on national television on a show hosted by one of my favorite Japanese celebrities. I was really happy to have the opportunity to ask Tyson about his experiences of seeing his company appear on national television and I also learned a few things about my favorite Japanese celebrity. I also wanted to do my internship at a company that seems interested, but also seemed like they knew what they were doing and I would learn from them.

How many hours do you commit to your internship a week and how long do you plan to be an intern?

I am currently in my six month as an marketing intern. I commit roughly about twelve hours a week to the internship and around 12 - 16 hours during my school breaks. I I plan to be an intern for the foreseeable future. This internship has been a good opportunity for me because I am able to learn online and saves me a lot of time on commuting. During school breaks, I have the chance to come in and visit the main office.

What did you want to gain from your internship?

I wanted to gain valuable experience to help me develop my skills which I could take with me to whatever career I choose. I had some extra time during the week so I wanted to fill it with something useful.  

Now that you are three months into your internship, what would you like to gain

I think I need to be more consistent with my projectss. This being, doing a little bit everyday opposed to finishing something in one night. As I receive more varied assignments, I would like to concentrate on doing chunks of it everyday. I would also like to stretch out into different areas of marketing such as brand management and public relations.

What have you learned most from the internship?

My background isn’t necessarily in marketing, but I feel like I have learned so much since starting my internship. Before, I thought I understood how to write an email or a blog post and I was pretty proud of my communication skills because I get decent grades results in university, but I never realized how deeply great marketers think about in targeting an audience and how to discover your target and write specifically to them. During the internship I received feedback over and over again about improving my targeting skills and I thought I got it, but I still kept getting the same feedback again. Although it was frustrating at first, I have learnt how to realize the framework for understanding our audience.  

What has been the highlight of your internship?

I feel like the highlight has been the direct support I have gotten from my boss and co-workers which has been really vital in my growth. Since it is an unpaid internship, I have noticed that they have gone out of their way to make me feel comfortable and ensure that I gain some valuable marketing skills and even though it is unpaid, I still feel the need to stay and learn more and improve my skills, so I think it has been a really good trade off for me. Since they are rapidly growing, this internship has provided many opportunities develop marketing content for the school.

Knowing what I know now, what is the a good tip to help others to get the most out of their internship?

Don’t be afraid to ask for criticism! It can be a bit hard at first, especially if you are not used to getting feedback on your projects. However, it is really important to push aside your ego because it is the only way to grow. It is also really helpful to create checklists on how to do things like creating a blog post. That way, you will be able to streamline tasks and make assignments more easy to accomplish. I’ll also be able to take the checklist with me when I go to other jobs. One last thing, remember to take detailed notes!

What is your portfolio for the internship?

So far, I have completed a few blog posts for the internship. I was really excited to see my name in the author’s section, it really gave me a sense of accomplishment.

Here are samples of what I made

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AI THUY TRAN

Graphic Design Intern

What brings me to Japan

I am currently a student at a Japanese language school in Takadanobaba. I actually started learning Japanese in high school and have always been interested in visiting Japan. I came to Japan on holidays and became even more determined to one day live in Japan.

Why did you choose a marketing internship at BFF Tokyo

Even though I do not come from a marketing background, I have always been interested in different aspects of marketing like market research, social media, and communication with customers. Moving to Japan, I not only wanted to improve my Japanese abilities but also  gain more experience and knowledge in marketing. I first came across BFF through looking at their main company One Coin English and saw that they were looking for a marketing intern.

How many hours do you commit to your internship a week and how long do you plan to be an intern?

I have been interning for about 3 months now and committing 10 hours a week to the internship with about 5 hours on both Wednesday and Thursday in the Shinjuku Headquarters. I plan on being an intern for at least a few more months whilst I am a student and balancing the internship with a part-time job.

What did you want to gain from your internship?

I was hoping to gain more experience and knowledge on what it means to be a marketer. As well as deciding on what areas of marketing I was particularly interested in. There is a wide range of online resources you can use to learn more about marketing, but it can be difficult to know where to begin and what are would be a perfect match for me.

Now that you are three months into your internship, what would you like to gain?

I would like to learn more about the different aspects of marketing, including social media marketing and content creation. I would also like to go into more depth on the topics I have learnt from JAM, including how to create a social media plan and drawing attention to the content I created. In the long term, I would be particularly interested in combining my love of statistics and marketing.

What have you learned most from the internship?

I have learnt about many things since starting this internship, including the different tools that are out there for marketers to utilize, the kind of projects you might expect to do as a marketer, as well as seeing first hand the thought that goes into the marketing of a new company and building an audience from zero. I also learned that I am very strong at doing market research and applying my scientific background with the data driven end of marketing.

What has been the highlight of your internship?

There have been many highlights but in particular, I have enjoyed the volunteer projects for BFF Tokyo: which is to do extensive research on the housing market for foreigners and develop great content that will help foreigners save money and make better decisions when looking for an apartment . I have found this project particularly interesting because it has given me the chance to join on a large project where I can have some creative input and I feel this experience has prepared me for a full-time position in the field of marketing.

Knowing what I know now, what is the a good tip to help others to get the most out of their internship?

Know what you want to get out of the internship and ask questions. Tyson is very knowledgeable and is willing to answer questions and share his experiences and know how.

What is your portfolio for the internship?

BFF Tokyo

  • BFF Tokyo guide to housing ebook
  • The ultimate checklist for choosing an apartment in Tokyo
  • Extensive apartment market research

Japan Switch

  • Competitor Research
  • Website Graphs
  • Social Media Page Creation

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