7 July 2020

A quick chat with the last pre-corona AUN intern

By
AUN Writer Team

Azim joined us for 3 months, accomplishing many individual pieces of work and contributed to multiple ongoing projects. Towards the end of his internship, he had to transition to a virtual internship as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened throughout the ASEAN region. We invited Azim to talk about his expectations and experiences with his internship program with the AUN.

1.    What did you like the most about the AUN Internship Programme?

The AUN Internship Programme provides opportunities for me to improve not only the existing intrapersonal and intercultural skills but also creativity in designing and approaches to problem solving.

2.    What do you like least about the AUN Internship Programme?

Working from home, despite being inevitable due to the COVID-19 situation, was the only unenjoyable part of the Internship Programme.

3.    Do you think the overall programme has met with your expectations and how?

The overall programme is beyond my expectations as I am allowed to help colleagues and the staff to coordinate and draft work for more than one thematic network, hence broadening management and coordination skills and knowledge in which I find it very valuable for my future career prospects.

4.    What is the best experience you have learned from the programme?

The best experience would definitely be the work from home, even if I did not enjoy it as much. It taught me time management skills in a virtual environment, which is a completely different experience than time management while working inside an office. This allows me to manage my time between family time, chores, family errands and assignments from the internship programme.  This made me notice that for the same amount of workload, I find it easier to manage in the office compared to managing it at home.

5.    Any suggestions for improvement of the AUN Internship Programme?

The overall internship experience was great! As for my whole virtual internship experience, I believe it would be a nice addition for the staff to call or video call the interns before proceeding with the assignment like what Amy (AUN Senior Programme Officer) did before for the CHED course specification project. I personally find verbal explanations helps me the most in completing my assignments.