Since the beginning of my internship at Amity International School Amsterdam, many people have approached me, asking what I do as a MarCom intern at an international school. I agree it can seem a bit confusing at first when hearing that I am not interning at a corporate firm, a marketing agency, or a media conglomerate, but at a school. Even I who thoroughly researched the educational organization before my first interview for the position did not have a clear image of what my day could look like. However, having gone to two different international schools, I knew that attracting new students always involves advertisements and articles about the school to boost its reputation in the school’s region.
Once I was offered the position, my boss was so kind to invite me for a tour of the school before the actual start of my internship as well as to discuss what my specific tasks will be in the upcoming months. I must admit, I had the impression I will not be bored till the end of my internship. There were so many marketing and communication projects on the list she handed to me that day. Only then I really realized why a marketing and communications department is needed at an international school.
Considering that the school I am interning at only opened in 2018 and its goal is to grow to a student body of 400 students by the end of the school year 2021-2022, it is essential to have a consistent media presence online as well as in regional newspapers. A big part of Amity Amsterdam’s online media presence is done via social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. There, we post photos from students participating in fun activities, informative posts about the curriculum that is being taught at the school and reels showing off the green grounds of Amity Amsterdam. To post on a regular basis, the MarCom team oversees and creates all the content, which means taking photos during regular school days, organizing and/or supervising photoshoots, filming videos and interviews and more. On top of a social media presence, we create fun advertisements that are being published in print newspapers, online websites such as IamExpat and on Facebook and Instagram. While the mentioned tasks encompass the marketing side of my job, I am also responsible for internal and external communication with stakeholders. Therefore, I am writing blog posts once a month for our website as well as feature articles for Dutch newspapers. Moreover, my boss and I’s duty is to formulate texts for internal parties (i.e. parents and staff members) in case of crisis situations. For instance, each time new Covid-19 regulations are being introduced by the government, we as the MarCom team must inform parents and staff about what needs to be adjusted to comply with the official rules.
To sum up, without these marketing and communication efforts, international schools would not only have fewer students because no one would be aware of their existence but also parents who already send their children to that school would be lost and confused when governmental or internal educational changes happen throughout the school year.
I hope this blog gave you a quick insight into why we need a marketing and communications department at an international school. If you are interested in education and you like children, but do not want to become a teacher yourself, working in the marketing and communications department at an international school could be the perfect compromise for you.