Niha Reddy

While about 67% of students who register internships with The American University of Paris choose to stay local and complete their internships in Paris, some return to their hometowns, and others travel somewhere new in order to absorb a different culture. AUP students are global explorers and AUP alumni live and work in 142 countries, covering just about every corner of the globe, so it’s no surprise that our students use their internships to travel and explore.

Niha Reddy gives us an insight into her internship with Content Coopérative in Paris, France.

Tell us a little bit about your background.

I was born in India and grew up in Ohio. Before Paris, I lived in New York City, Boston, and LA respectively.

Which company/organization are you currently interning with?

I’m interning with Content Coopérative, an English-native content agency.

Where is your internship taking place?

I work in Paris, France.

When is your internship taking place?

Fall 2017/Spring 2018

What is your job title?

Editorial Coordinator

What types of responsibilities and/or tasks do you have in your internship? What's a typical day for you?

A typical day will include both internal and external responsibilities. If external, it'll be reviewing client feedback, making revisions to the work, or meeting with potential new clients. If internal, it'll be producing our "Weekly Digest" – a roundup of industry-relevant topics/cool stuff we find and want to share, posting on our social accounts, and miscellaneous things like dreaming up holiday gifts for clients or finding new places to try for Pizza Friday.

What are the biggest challenges and successes you’ve experienced during your internship?

I think it's something that exists in every role but the initial process of integration always takes time. Things like learning about the work, who the clients are, getting up to speed on projects, and adapting to a new workflow are all adjustments but entirely manageable ones. The successes would include starting to do some of my own client work (meaning owning a project from beginning to end), getting into a rhythm with the Weekly Digests which doubles as a way for me to be tuned into the latest in our industry, and successfully completing some translation work. I'm pretty proud of that one.

What language(s) are you speaking/using in your internship?

English is the dominant language but there are some clients we work with in French and some projects that require a certain level of French.

Tell us about your future goals/aspirations. Is this internship relevant? Do you think it will help you along the way?

This internship is basically the future job I'd like to be doing so yes, it's definitely relevant. It's a writing/editing intensive role which is exactly what I was after in my internship search. Interning as closely as you can to the kind of role you imagine yourself in is the best thing you can do for your future career. It gives you an idea of what it's actually like to do that type of work (vs. thinking "yeah, I think I'd like this something like this") and you gain skills and knowledge about the industry along the way. You might even build up your portfolio if that's relevant to your role. For me personally, the dose of French/French culture is an added bonus and would be for anyone looking to work in France. Also, my bosses are really fun, smart and inclusive people and have taught me a lot about the kinds of management styles I respond to best. Something you might not necessarily think of but good to keep in mind when you meet the people you might be working with or under.

Anything else to share?

I’m currently campaigning for an office dog. Stay tuned.