Working at Palin

Work opportunities at Palin Communications

Palin Communications creates a unique work environment for a specialised PR consultancy by being an independent, flexible, staff-focused agency that encourages professional development and participation in agency affairs.

Staff are provided with regular business updates on the progress of the consultancy and invited to make contributions and suggestions regarding future business development and strategy.

Each staff member at Palin Communications has individual weekly catch ups with Martin, where staff discuss project progress and other relevant issues. All staff members have regular performance reviews and individual assessments. Most have long term letters of agreement that outline future plans and progress as agreed between the Directors and the staff member.

Palin seeks to be inclusive, supportive and encouraging of staff initiative and involvement.

The business is a member of various associations (e.g. the Registered Consultancy Group of the PRIA and the Australian Self Medication Industry) and so is able to provide numerous professional development opportunities for staff.

Team work, involvement and flexibility

The team at Palin Communications is close-knit. Staff work in close proximity and are always open for a chat or suggestion regarding projects.

At Palin everyone reports to Martin but there is no strict hierarchy and everyone's thoughts are welcome and encouraged regarding any project or client in the business. Every member of staff is there to help or answer questions and Martin's door is always open.

There is a team work in progress (WIP) meeting every Monday morning where everyone catches up on each others projects and meetings. There are frequent brainstorms for new clients or new projects which is an open discussion around the issue in which all team members participate.

All team members are full time at Palin Communications but there is room for part time work if that suits the situation and individual person.

The team at Palin Communications can also work from home on occasion if the need arises. Days in lieu are also offered if a work commitment crosses over onto the weekend or public holiday.

Internships for University Students

Palin Communications welcomes interns from a range of backgrounds and levels. Suitable interns are typically university students working toward a communications related degree.

They often also have an interest in medical communications, health promotion, social marketing or health-related advocacy campaigns.

Palin Communications has hosted international interns as well as students from a wide variety of Australian universities. Interns are invited to participate in real-life PR projects and may be involved in writing media materials, helping with media relations, assisting in resource developments or supporting events.

If you wish to contact Palin Communications regarding an internship please contact the internship coordinator Karina Candia (karina@palin.com.au) to discuss this further.

INTERN EXPERIENCES AT PALIN

"Thanks to the Palin Communications team for making my internship enjoyable and valuable An internship at Palin Communications offers PR students hands-on experience, while gaining an in-depth insight and understanding into the way healthcare PR operates on a day-to-day basis.

The Palin working environment is incredibly professional, with a hard working and tight-knit team. As an intern I was given the opportunity to be fully immersed in the offices current projects, and was given an insight into the tasks healthcare PR professionals undertake. Attending the Shepherd Centre’s 2011 Father of the Year announcement at the ASX was a highlight, allowing me to see the end result of a strong public relations campaign and exactly how much planning, media relations, client liaison and detail goes into these types of events.

The team at Palin were all fantastic, thoroughly briefing me on all tasks, and demonstrating patience and guidance throughout my internship. Each person has extensively assisted in furthering my knowledge of the industry, professionally demonstrating the theories and practices i have learned at university.

I would recommend an internship at Palin Communications to any Public Relations student with an interest in the healthcare industry due to the incredible support you receive and fantastic working environment you operate in."

Teaghan Mills
Bachelor of Arts – (Public Relations and Organisational Communications)
and Bachelor of Arts - (Journalism),
Charles Sturt University, Bathurst. (August 2011)

"I didn’t have any real-life experience in PR before my internship at Palin Communications. The internship at Palin Communications has been my first introduction to PR and it was great!

The Palin team warmly welcomed me and made me feel as though I was part of the team from day one. I was able to apply theoretical knowledge from my studies as well as getting into typical PR tasks such as media relations, media research, project evaluations and developing social media content plans - just to name a few. Each of the tasks were part of various highly interesting and exciting projects. I was given as much responsibility as I could handle (such as follow up calls to media contacts). Furthermore even my love for IT was satisfied by helping the team to a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system.

To summarise my time at Palin: insightful, helpful, exciting, and valuable"

Manik Hoffman
Bachelor of International Communications,
Hanze University Groningen, The Netherlands (April – August 2011)

"Being an intern at Palin has been a wonderful experience. It allowed me to get familiar with the world of healthcare PR. My responsibilities included research, creating media lists, writing and sending media alerts, media enquiry follow up, writing for Palin’s website, and much more.

However, what made this experience even better were the people working at Palin.

I have never met such positive, friendly and energetic consultants! I did not feel like I was a simple intern, I felt like I was part of the team. I loved the fact that consultants were considering my feedback , were allowing me to express myself , and were always there for me when I had questions or needed help.

Many thanks to everyone for giving me the great opportunity of being an intern at Palin!"

Julie Dobiecki
Master's Degree of Strategic Public Relations,
Sydney University. (Intern at Palin January-February 2011)

"If it’s hands on experience in a fun environment that you want for your internship, then Palin Communications is the place to contact!

Even though one is there as an intern, the responsibilities assigned and respect you receive allows you to feel and learn as if you are a real part of the team.

The staff’s experience together with their friendliness makes your learning experience and journey something you won’t want it to end.

In just four weeks, thanks to this wonderful opportunity, I was able to get a better understanding of Health PR and Public relations in general, and this helped me realise what I wanted to do in my professional life.

My time at Palin Communications was truly enlightening and if I could do it all over again I would!"

Graciela Rosales
Masters of Health Communication,
Sydney University (Intern at Palin November - December, 2010)

"An internship at Palin Communications is a great experience for students like myself majoring in Public Relations. It allowed me to put the theory learned at university into practice. Palin Communications offers a hands-on experience, alongside a very welcoming PR team.

The internship allowed me to become a part of the team and learn more about the Public Relations industry. It was a pleasure to be able to be apart of the Palin team, as I had the opportunity to have a real taste of the real world and what would I could potentially expect once I had finished my degree. I was also able to accompany one of Palin's employers Karina to a Prostate Cancer BBQ event and see exactly how the team deals with the media.

I am truly honoured that I was able to be apart of the Palin team and assist with the major PR projects at the time. Thank you Palin for offering me an internship I won't forget!"

Grace Leasa
Bachelor of Communications, University of Western Sydney.

"An internship at Palin Communications is truly a great professional and educational experience for students pursuing a career in public relations. It offers everything I was looking for as an intern: an intensive hands-on internship program in a friendly, stimulating work environment.

My time at Palin Communications was a nurturing, confidence-building experience and I learned about public relations from a great team of PR experts. I was able to practice and develop my communication skills and gain valuable experience in a wide scope of disciplines including media relations and strategic communications planning. I was actively involved in many exciting projects and I significantly improved my writing and speaking skills. I was very lucky to be involved with the international conference of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, for which I accompanied Martin Palin to the Gold Coast in Queensland.

At this consultancy, you will get as much responsibility as you can handle and the team will support you throughout the work process. I find that Palin Communications trusts and values their interns for their contribution and I truly enjoyed working here. Many thanks to Palin Communications for an incredible experience!"

Michelle Nguyen
Bachelor of International Communications,
Hanze University Groningen, The Netherlands. (Intern at Palin April - August, 2010)

“It was a pleasure to spend five weeks with Palin Communications as an intern. The employees at Palin don't just form a staff, but a team. Each team member endeavoured to use their expertise in the field to enable me develop the knowledge and skills necessary for a career in the PR industry and I'm thoroughly grateful for this.”

Elyse Malloy
Notre Dame University. (Intern at Palin July 2010)

"As I opened the door on my first day at Palin Communications I was greeted with a smile and a handshake from none other than Martin Palin, Managing Director. I knew instantly this was not going to be a typical internship experience.

The interactive and hands on nature of the internship program is what makes the company unique. Throughout my three month internship experience, every single member of staff was ready and willing to teach. More importantly, the staff wanted me involved in the day to day account activities. I gained broad experience in key opinion leader development, media relations and patient group liaison. I learnt to make pitch calls, write press releases, compile client reports and monitor clippings. I participated in staff meetings, key message and branding development and team brainstorms. I even got to assist with the media relations for a health conference in Queensland for a couple of days which was a real highlight!

Palin Communications has convinced me healthcare public relations is the right career for me and the skills I learned will certainly help me in my future endeavours."

Caroline Dowdy
Bachelor of Arts, Public Relations and Organisational Communication -
Charles Sturt University. (Intern at Palin October-December, 2008)

Overseas Applicants

Palin Communications welcomes intern applications from countries other than Australia. Visa arrangements are typically the responsibility of the intern.

Palin Communications is a qualified employer for consultants with Long Stay 457 Business Visas. Contact the Managing Director at Palin Communications to discuss these issues further.