17 Mar FIKILE MAILE

Fikile Maile (22) currently resides in Edenvale (Gauteng) and is placed in Kgotso as a data capture intern.

“Let me start by saying I’m grateful for this internship – it pulled me from a lot of stress and emotional/mental breakdown. We all know that after graduating, we have high expectations, and most of the time, we get disappointed because jobs in our country are very scarce. They want a lot of experience from us , which we don’t have. I’m happy that the YES program has allowed me to take care of myself and the people I love. The experience here is fantastic thus far. My operational manager is the best; she challenges me to be the better version of myself, and whenever I don’t understand something, she takes me through step by step. Working with patients/people it is not easy at all, but being respectful and calm helps a lot.

When I started working here, I used to have a short temper, and honestly my time management skills were terrible because I would struggle to wake up in the morning. To overcome those challenges, I slept early and prepared my work clothes the day before. Regarding my short temper, my operational manager gave me some exercises on managing patients and always being calm -which helped a lot! If I could redo one thing in the internship is the effort that I put in I would put double effort and work twice as hard so that I can learn as much as possible. The YES apps have helped me a lot, most notably in my personal growth. I have learned tips on how to start my own business and how to manage my money, and it gave me more information about gross salary, deductions and UIF. Time management is critical in the work environment, and communication is vital for your manager. Lastly, to consider other people’s feelings, don’t just talk for the sake of talking. Most importantly, choose peace. The one thing I have learned throughout the program is to respect each person, regardless of age or race.”