CANDI Student Lands Dream Internship with ELLE Magazine

A Level student, Esther Simuene, was offered a once in a lifetime internship with the renowned magazine ELLE.

Esther, who is studying politics, psychology and economics, spent three months learning everything to do with the publishing world during the lockdown. Read on to find out how Esther landed the dream role, how she found the internship and what she plans to do next.

How did you get the internship with ELLE?

ELLE offered the internship to 12 students around the country. The Careers Service at CANDI reached out to me and asked if I was interested. Of course, I jumped at the chance. I had a telephone interview with ELLE and I was lucky enough to get picked.

What was your first day like?

I was really nervous! I had never done anything like this before and I was nervous to meet the other students. But I had nothing to worry about. As we were in lockdown, we were introduced to each other and the team over Zoom and they really made us feel comfortable and at ease. We learnt about the ins and outs of ELLE which I found really interesting. The magazine has so many aspects to it, there is a lot going on. We were also told that the cover star for the September issue would be with British fashion model, Adwoa Aboah, which was very exciting.

What was it like day-to-day at ELLE?

The internship was two days a week, to fit around our studies and no two days were the same. We were each given a personal mentor who guided and advised us, and we got to work in each department. I loved trying new things and I learnt so much about the industry. 

What did you enjoy most about the internship?

There wasn’t a single thing I didn’t enjoy doing. I was lucky to have the editor at ELLE, Farrah Storr, as my mentor. I loved getting her advice and hearing about ELLE from an editor’s point of view. It was a great opportunity and I learnt so much from her.

What would you like to do after you’ve finished studying at CANDI?

Before the internship, I was clueless about what I wanted to do next. This experience has opened my eyes. There are so many exciting opportunities out there and getting into the media is something I would now seriously consider.

Do you have any advice for other CANDI students?

Trust yourself and step out of your comfort zone, especially if you’re unsure of what you want to do. It could lead to experiences you might never have considered. You may just find your dream career!

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