When it comes to kickstarting a career, there are few moves better than completing an internship. Key to building up skills, enhancing your CV, and setting a solid foundation for the road ahead, good internships can also be the starting point of long-lasting relationships—and, indeed, full-time positions.
At Zahra, we believe in sharing our knowledge and continuous learning for our team—which is why we’ve always placed such a high value on our internships. Joining the team to contribute in all facets of our business, our interns bring a whole lot to the table; that’s why we strive to make the roles as memorable and enriching as we can.
But what’s it like to intern at Zahra? Hear all about it from those who did—many of whom are now permanent members of the Zahra family!
Paula Murphy – Account Director & Content Marketing Manager
You’ll never know what opportunities an internship might bring—as Paula discovered when she began her career at Zahra as an intern just over six years ago.
“I’d been working elsewhere, but saw the opportunity to take a position in a company that was doing really exciting things in a field that I wanted to be a part of. I thought I’d spend my days making teas and coffees, but that certainly wasn’t the case; Zahra is the type of place where you hit the ground running. From day one, I was working closely with our Account Managers and clients, entrusted with client work—and most of all, I felt like my voice was heard and valued.
“I learned so much about the industry and was thrilled when I was offered a full-time position. I’ve progressed over the past six years from intern to Account Director & Content Marketing Manager, and I’m so fortunate to be a part of a company that understands that internships are beneficial to both the intern and the company when structured correctly.”
Mary-Kate Hickey – Former Editorial Assistant Intern
Following her graduation from Journalism, Mary Kate interned at Zahra in 2017 as an Editorial Assistant.
“I got to experience many different aspects of journalism and media during my time at Zahra, from event organisation and social media management to researching and writing articles for both online and print. I was exposed to what working for a busy publishing company is really like! Everyone I worked alongside during that time was super friendly and helpful, and made my time at Zahra a truly valuable and insightful experience.”
Jocelyn Doyle – Deputy Editor at Easy Food
It was her drive and positivity that presented Jocelyn with many opportunities after she started as an intern in 2014.
“I was fresh out of a Master’s degree in the University of Gastronomic Sciences, Italy, and determined to find a full-time job as a food writer. I fell in love with the magazine very quickly and set about making myself indispensable. At the end of May that year, I asked whether a full-time role might be available, and found myself becoming the new Editorial Assistant. Over the next three years, I worked my way up through the ranks, becoming Staff Writer, then Recipe Editor.
“Zahra will really give you whatever you’re capable of, and I was eager to prove myself and hungry for new responsibilities. In April 2016, I asked whether I could write a column for Easy Food with a focus on the small food producers of Ireland; Eat Ireland has been a monthly feature ever since. At the end of 2016, I was made the new Editor of Easy Gluten-Free, a quarterly magazine that we published at the time. Growing from intern to Editor within three years remains one of my proudest accomplishments.
“These days, I’m Deputy Editor of Easy Food, a role I took on in summer 2019 and one that I adore. Since I also work across the wider company in creating and publishing bespoke food content for our client companies, I have an additional role of Food Content Creator for Zahra. While Easy Food is my first love—print publishing gives me a very tangible sense of accomplishment—this extra position lets me flex my creative muscles in different ways, and is always offering new challenges.”
Brooke Murphy – Digital Marketing Executive
Starting an internship can be daunting, especially when you don’t know what to expect—and that’s how Brooke Murphy from our Digital Hub felt when she started her internship with Zahra.
“When I started my internship at Zahra, I was shy, scared, and totally overwhelmed by life’s changing tides…then I attended my first Town Hall. I remember crying with laughter at all the goings-on and thinking, ‘I can’t believe how happy everyone is…’ I hadn’t had the greatest of experiences working in Ireland before I found Zahra, and it was because of the atmosphere and culture that I even left another job to come back again after my initial internship had finished.
“Since joining the Digital Hub team in 2019, I’ve been able to develop myself into a Digital Marketing Executive, add skill after skill to my remit, and have achieved pretty much all of the career goals I’ve set myself. I’m so thankful every day for the talent and experience that I’m exposed to in my colleagues, and grateful to have been given this opportunity—the first place to allow myself to develop a whole new career and future for myself. My internship at Zahra changed my life, so if you’re looking for a place to intern, we should be first on your list!”
If you’re interested in interning at Zahra, check out our Indeed profile; that’s where you’ll find our vacancies. And, of course, you can always get in touch via our Contact Page.
