Why PR? Q&A with Babel’s Assistant Apprentice, Lauren

Our newest PRCA apprentice, Lauren O’Harrow, who has been with us for just over a month, discusses everything there is to know about her apprenticeship and her time at Babel so far.

Why did you decide to choose a PR apprenticeship?

My decision in choosing PR as a career was made largely in my first year of sixth form. As my peers began to discuss possible universities and what subjects they were keen to pursue, I quickly began to realise that university was not what I wanted to do and so I began to look into apprenticeships. This was a very daunting process at first as I had no idea what kind of apprenticeship I wanted to aim for.

As ‘Media Studies’ was my favourite subject during my A Levels, I decided to talk to my media teacher about careers in the media. It just so happened that my media teacher was previously in the PR industry and after hearing about it, I decided to look into PR apprenticeships in more detail. My parents and my media teacher helped me massively throughout this process and were the people who gave me the confidence to do what I wanted to do and aim for a PR apprenticeship rather than studying at university, which is what all of my friends are currently doing.

After learning more about the PR industry, I realised how perfect a fit it would be for me. PR encompasses both my love for the media and the fact that I have always wanted to have a career that is largely concerned with people and forming relationships.

How did you find out about Babel’s PR Assistant Apprenticeship?

I remember scrolling through the apprentice dedicated section of the government website and feeling quite overwhelmed at the number of apprenticeships on offer. After hours of searching, I remember coming across Babel’s apprenticeship advert and deciding to look into the company. As my dad works in IT, I have always had an interest in technology, and Babel being a B2B technology PR agency was definitely appealing.

Why did you decide to choose Babel?

Babel was appealing to me for many reasons. My first interview was with one of Babel’s campaign managers, Ash. In many of the other interviews that I had been on, I felt very uncomfortable and on edge, but this was not the case with this interview. I felt very comfortable talking to Ash which allowed me to be myself and enjoy the process.

This feeling was one of the biggest factors that made me want to work for Babel. After my second interview, this time with Ash and Ed, our senior campaign manager, and a casual phone call with our COO Narelle, I felt even more at ease and interested in the company and put all my focus onto aiming for this apprenticeship.

How has your experience at Babel been so far?

I have loved every minute of working at Babel so far. I have already learnt so much and I am excited for this to continue throughout my time here. I am really enjoying working and studying at the same time and I think that my schedule has a great balance of both. One of my highlights of my time at Babel so far is our most recent social event where we went bowling before going out to dinner. I loved having the opportunity to get to know everyone better and talking to the team outside of an office setting.  I’m looking forward to our next social event and learning more about the world of PR!