What is your internship role?
My role is the Events Intern within the Marketing department at BWT Alpine F1 Team. Within the capacity of my role, I help the Marketing Events and Experiential Manager with the delivery of non-race-specific team events.
What are your responsibilities and main jobs?
My main responsibilities are to help plan and deliver various events BWT Alpine F1 Team host throughout the year, these include partner, trackside, factory and launch events to name a few. Within this, I support the preparation of digital and printed event collateral, merchandise stock management, and finally, the onsite execution of these events. My role also includes supporting logistics of our marketing assets for different events, including showcars, simulators and BATAKs. It is my responsibility to support in ensuring these are prepared and transported safely to event locations across the globe.
What degree do you need to be doing to get an internship?
For the Events Intern role, studying for a degree is not mandatory but it of course helps on the CV. Essentially, the role is aimed at someone who can demonstrate an interest in the events industry. However, I am currently studying for a BA Events Management degree at Oxford Brookes University, and I am at BWT Alpine F1 Team doing my internship in the placement year of my degree. At the end of my placement, I will return to university to complete my final year before graduating and then hope to get a job within motorsports doing events.
What should you study in school?
I believe studying what you are interested in and not what you think you will need in the future is the best, especially if you aren’t sure of the path you want to take. If you want to flesh out your experience in a specific area, volunteering is always a great way to build a more specific skill set and also show your enthusiasm through the fact you are willing to give up your own time to hone your skills.
What other skills are useful?
The top 3 skills which I believe are needed to be successful in an events role but also any job are:
- Time management
- Problem-solving
- Organisation
How can I get work experience?
Reach out to people within the different sectors of your preferred industry and explain to them why you are looking for work experience, what you hope to get out of it and what you can bring to the table for them, remember it’s always about a balance of give and take. LinkedIn is always the best way to contact people in a professional capacity, you can attach a short message to a connection request outlining who you are and why you are reaching out. If you are in University or School schedule a meeting with the careers advisor, they are sure to have some interesting opportunities and may be able to connect you with alumni who are already in your chosen sector. Remember it’s about getting your name out there!
How did you discover your internship?
I actually discovered this internship opportunity through Motorsports Jobs.
Do you have any tips or advice for how to structure my internship application?
Look closely at the job description and identify if there are any key skills the recruiter is looking for which you can demonstrate you hold. Highlight these in your application and remember to always give an example of a scenario in which you demonstrated this skill or were able to develop it to a quality level. Think of it like an essay, identify your point (skill) give an example and then explain how this will benefit you with the job you are applying for. It is easy for everyone to say they are good at communication or have excellent time management but showing a time in which you have proven you have these skills is best. Another piece of advice is to remember that the recruiter is not expecting you to be a perfectly rounded worker; demonstrating a time in which you have been challenged or even failed and how you dealt with and learned from it will show that you are good at active reflection and will be able to consistently improve and develop as the needs of a business or department change.
Do you get to go to races?
My role does include a lot of opportunities to travel, although not necessarily at the grands prix. However, I did attend the 2022 Belgium Grand Prix to host the Pit Stop Challenge activity in the Fan Zone, which was a great experience. Day to day, I am predominantly based at our factory in Enstone, Oxfordshire. Looking at the internship as an opportunity to also build a wider network within the industry and demonstrate to relevant personnel the work ethic and benefit you provide to a company; you never know what opportunities may arise from it.
The team members and work you see at the track during a race week is just a small percentage of the wider business and the work that goes on throughout the season, the people I have worked with and the opportunities I have had through my work at the factory have been amazing and have given me a great foundation of skills specific to working events in the motorsport industry.
What events have you done?
There have been lots of events that I have supported over the 12 months that I’ve been with the team. I helped with the launch of the A523 in February, ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season. We have also hosted different events of partners, both on-site at our factory in Enstone as well as externally at different locations. These can be at either partner HQs or different circuits (across the globe), and they can range from team events to partner-only events to a mixture of both. There are always events happening within the team which means my day-to-day job is never the same.
What does a day at work look like for you?
No two days look the same. The one thing that I love about working in the events department is that you can be out hosting an event one day and the following day you can be at the factory planning and preparing for the next one. Prep work isn’t all conducted at my desk either, I am constantly on my feet at the factory, working with our Static Showcar team who help with prepping, providing and transporting the show cars that are often featured in the events we host throughout the year.
What would your ideal job be after your internship?
I aim to come back into motorsports in a full-time position as part of an Events team so having the opportunity to do my placement year with BWT Alpine F1 Team has given me invaluable experience and will hopefully help me to secure a permanent role within the industry.