Photo courtesy of Nonsuch Studios
By Jodie Cave, second-year English with creative writing student
Last June, I completed a five-week paid internship at Nonsuch Studios. Once again, I found this opportunity on the Careers section of Moodle. Read Jodie's first career insight into the other placements she secured.
The application was broken down into an application and an interview. This meant that the process itself was a good experience, reflecting real-life interviews and giving insight into professionalism.
Before the placement
Before starting at Nonsuch Studios, I had an introductory session with other students, who had also been accepted on the placement. I got to meet 10 like-minded individuals who were equally as nervous and excited. Over the course of the five weeks, our weekly wellbeing meetings helped build up these new relationships and meant I had a great support system from the university.
The team were so welcoming
What was great about Nonsuch Studios is that at the same time I was joining, their company introduced a new team of people for their Ashfield Creates project, meaning it was less daunting being introduced to everyone, as the majority of them hadn’t been working there for much longer than me.
It turns out I didn’t have a reason to be nervous because the team were welcoming and so, so lovely. On the second day ever, we did a team-building day, where we each did PechaKachu’s, mini-presentations to share stories about ourselves. It was a wonderful way to get to know everyone and made me realise how laid-back and supportive Nonsuch Studios is.
Building skills outside my course
My internship was a great way to build skills outside of my course. I did blog-writing about my experience, allowing me to work on my professional writing skills. I made posters and a video to market their company to volunteers and to the local community, helping me improve my graphic design skills.
As I’d never really edited a video before, this was an entirely new experience, but one I loved as I was able to see all the previous work Nonsuch has done for the community.
Getting involved in community activities
Speaking of community engagement, I participated in their Script Reading sessions (where I led a session with a play of my choice!) and Homerangers. I got to meet a whole new demographic of people. Script Readers was such a fun experience, as the group were outgoing and had really good discussions with me about what makes good plays, among other things.
Towards the end of the five weeks, I worked with ChalleNGe on their Summer Arts Pop Up Project. This was a really cool time for me because I got to see the project from start to finish, from the initial meetings with Nonsuch to setting up the space in the Victoria Centre.
It was nice to see how organisations in Nottingham work together to produce projects for the communities, and I got to network. I also got to spend time with another student doing the same internship as me!
Improving my confidence in professional settings
By the end of my time at Nonsuch, I have definitely improved my confidence working professionally. The most important thing I learned is that it’s okay to need help on projects, to ask questions, to push yourself into every opportunity made available to you, even if it feels overwhelming.
These internships are quite short, so you really need to make the most of your time there. I cannot thank Nonsuch enough for the support and encouragement they gave me to try everything and push myself every day.
They made what was a nerve-wracking and unfamiliar environment completely relaxed and exciting, and there was not one element of the placement that I regret.
Reflecting on my first year
At the end of my first year, I feel much more comfortable with how much I’ve learnt and done outside of my studies. Read about my other experiences during my first year.
It definitely made me feel even more excited for my second year, where more opportunities would be made available to me, but also less pressured to feel like I’m not doing enough, as I’d built up my CV a lot.
My advice for those looking for work experience is not to fret about whether you have the skills to do the job. People offering placements are doing so because they want to help students learn more about the working environment, build skills, and figure out what in the industry they enjoy. They aren’t expecting perfection, they want someone who is curious, open-minded and resilient.
Find out more about gaining work experience opportunities at the university and beyond. If you need help finding or applying for any type of work experience, talk to a member of our team.
Posted on Thursday 29th January 2026