The Cratus Approach: An internship like no other
My journey at Cratus was quite out of the ordinary. However, before I jump into the process, here is a bit of context. It is my last year of university, a year tinged with ambition and anxiety – modules upon modules until I stumbled across an opportunity to turn theory into practice. This eventually brought me to Cratus Group. Unlike the summer internship programmes, mine consisted of attending the office one day a week from October through to April where I had been introduced to the different teams, however primarily situated in the Planning Team.
I have previously read that your first day, last day and a day in between shapes you as an individual, but I only began to recognise this after Cratus. Day One was unforgettable, I spent time with Cllr Osman, a man clearly comfortable in his own skin. He radiated the sort of confidence whose only true source is years of experience, and his decisiveness had been impressive. I could not shake that feeling of being an imposter, but I would get the job done, and I would learn as I did it. My tasks reinforced the importance of Cratus in particular. It positioned Cratus as a trusted partner to help facilitate dialogue between local government and the community leaders.
My day in between consisted of completing a political audit, attending a public consultation session and writing weekly reports for councils. Shadowing members of the Planning Team, exploring the material provided to me, gave me a richer sense of what I was compiling and how it could inform future work. Throughout the day, I also got the chance to speak to Duncan Flynn, Senior Director, a former Conservative representative in Hillingdon area with a colourful work and personal history. Conversations like this showed me not only WHAT Cratus do, but WHO they are. It helped me appreciate an aspect of politics that is often lost in other industries… the human element.
Cratus taught me what it means to work in Politics. The wide variety of tasks challenged my adaptability and reaffirmed that no two days look the same. By the end of my placement, I no longer felt like I was “just” an intern, but instead they appreciated me for what I had to offer, which is a feeling often looked over in internships. People often say companies are kind, helpful and useful to their career… but how much of that is true?
I can wholeheartedly say that Cratus has been the transformative part of my career. Their egalitarian approach within the company, where I’d often find myself speaking to the CEO was truly informative. A company that connects people to policy is very rare to find, but Cratus does just that! They are a bunch of people with knowledge, niche interests, friendly but most importantly, they are team players who value each other and their clients. Their work is not about completing contracts, but about informing all parties of what is necessary, and how to achieve their goal. It is about developing relations, trust and a solid base.
As any intern, I always thought that after one month, the “nice” act will drop, but I find myself 7 months in and everyone still welcomes me like it is my first day on the job. More companies should take the Cratus Approach, pushing interns to the frontline, teaching them but not hiding them.
