Drafting


Name and Family Name
The student´s name/s and family name/s could appear on the first page of a Memoria de Prácticas after the Table of Contents.  However, this could differ from Centre to Centre.  Some Centres request that information on the front cover.

Your name/s and surname/s should be spelled as they appear in official documents (i.e. passport, ID card).  It is not acceptable to include your nickname or other names you may known by in more informal contexts.

Your passport number or ID number can be added to this section.

Trainee´s Profile

In this section you should be including all the information that would appear under Qualifications and Experience in a CV. A good way to start is to ask yourself the following questions:

  • Which are my qualifications so far?
  • Have I got any courses/ diplomas/ certificates which are an advantage?
  • Have I got any working experience that could be relevant in the field I am doing my training/ another related field?
  • How is my CV different from other trainees´?
  • What are my strengths?
  • What are my weaknesses?

Once you have jotted down some ideas it is time to put them in order and think of how they will fit in coherent paragraphs.  The way you present the information in this section is of great importance. Remember that information should be ordered chronologically and in order of importance starting with your latest achievements.  (There is no need to give dates all the time, they would only create a list-like effect!).

Your style should be formal and neutral, therefore linking devices should be used.

Also you should pick and choose what is relevant.  Think of what a potential employer would need to know to hire you.  This section is not calling for an academic record, therefore, including endless lists of all academic results will not help you at all.

Once you have finished drafting this section, read it once more and see if it makes sense and holds together.

Note:  the questions above are there to help you put pen to paper.  However, this does not mean you have to include all of them in your answer.  Knowing what you want to include is as important as knowing what you have to leave out.

Choice of Internship

Why have I chosen to do an internship in this area?

  • Why have I chosen to do it in this company/ school/ factory/ institution/ firm?
  • Why have I decided to do it for this length of time? What are the implications, if any, for myself or for my Faculty/ employer/ school etc?
  • Will this internship be useful for me in the future? Why? Why not?
  • (…)
Placement Centre

Along with the name of the company there are some other considerations that should be borne in mind:  location, mission, staff, turnover …  They questions below are related to the world of education but they could apply to other areas too.

SCHOOLS

  • How is this school similar to/ different from other schools of the same kind?
  • What´s the school´s policy/ mission (if any)?
  • Is a specific education model being implemented?
  • Where is the school located? Is there a catchment policy in place?
  • Is it a state/ private/ religious/ government-subsidized school?
  • Which years can be studied at this school?
  • Which is the school´s schedule?
  • Which is the students´ socio-economic background?
  • Is this school networking with other schools?
  • Students´ and parents´ satisfaction with school
  • Staff satisfaction with school
  • (…)

OTHER EDUCATIONAL CENTRES

  • Where is this Centre located?
  • What are the characteristics of this Centre?
  • How is it different from other similar centres in the area?
  • Which are the physical characteristics of the Centre?
  • Is it a state/ private/government-subsidized Centre?
  • What´s the Centre´s policy/ mission (if any)?
  • Which is the students´/ pupils´ socio-economic background?
  • Which years can be studied at this Centre?
  • Is it networking with other centres/ institutions/ schools?
  • Students´ and parents´ satisfaction with Centre
  • Staff satisfaction with Centre
  • (…)

TRANSLATION CENTRES

  • How is this centre different from others of the same size?
  • Type of texts translated? Is there any specialization? Outsourcing?
  • Which is the centre´s turnover?
  • Translators´ background?
  • Domestic/ international market?
  • (Main) Clients?
  • ICTs used? Which?
  • Opportunities for promotion?
  • Networking with other centres?
  • Clients´ feedback?
  • (…)

NGOs and OTHERS

  • What are this Centre´s main characteristics?
  • How is it different from others?
  • Does it work autonomously? Why? Why not?
  • Sources of funding?
  • (…)

 

Tasks/ Work Performed

One of the most common mistakes in this section is to try to include all the activities performed during a certain period in your Memoria.  However, this is not what this section asks for.

You will certainly have done quite a large number of different activities.  Quite a few will have been repetitive and some others will have been new and challenging.  Therefore, you will have to synthesize and analyze the tasks you have done and  the situations you have gone through, describe conflicts or uncomfortable situations and present the measures taken for conflict resolution.

A profusion of dates is not necessary.  The information you will finally present does not need to be arranged chronologically though time references can be provided.

The questions below are a sort of guideline to help you develop your answer.

  • Which tasks have I performed as a trainee?
  • Have I been doing the same things at the beginning and at the end of my training?
  • Have all the tasks been equally important?
  • Has there been a task more important than others? Why?
  • Which task has been outstanding during this process?

Remember that when working on your answer you will have to decide if you are going to give a general overview of the tasks done and then concentrate on one of them that is outstanding or else describe all tasks performed and provide details.

Tasks and Competences

In this section theory and practice come together.   You should think of the courses of studies taken at university and see to what extent the skills and competences learned have been useful during this training period.

  • Which skills and competences have I learned at university?
  • Have they been useful during my training? Why? Why not?
  • Has there been a subject that has directly or indirectly helped you? How?
  • (…)
Problems and Solutions

You may have been faced with upsetting situations which demanded action and had to think on your own feet.

Your reader will expect you to give a brief but precise account of the nature of the problem, explain the reasons for it and end up by explaining

  • the reasons for the problem
  • the solutions taken
  • (…)

Even if no unexpected situations have arisen during your training, you may be expected to explain why there have been no problems.

Personal Development

This is an open-answer section.  During your training you will certainly have learned something:  new skills or perhaps an insight into the job you would like to pursue in the future.

Whether you are at an educational or non-educational institution, you now have hands-on knowledge of areas you had or you hadn´t seen during your academic studies.  You may also have been exposed to input that was completely new to you.  In either case comment on them and explain what you have learned from this experience at a professional and personal level.

Feedback for your Faculty

Some faculties ask their trainees to provide suggestions for improvement of the placement system they have in place.   When you provide feedback try to be as objective as you can when you pinpoint possible weaknesses.  Also be constructive, provide solutions and suggest ways to make this experience a more profitable one for future trainees.