A day in the life at Skyscanner

Ever wondered what it would be like to work at a leading technology company like Skyscanner, which has its head office at Quartermile? Courtney Lee joined the leading global travel search site’s Commercial and Marketing Graduate Programme in June 2014, and she told Q360 about her typical day:

By Courtney Lee, Skyscanner

I arrive at Skyscanner’s Quartermile office at around 8:30am before my working day really kicks off at 9am. I grab a coffee and catch up on emails over breakfast, so I know what to expect for the day ahead. Due to Skycanner’s global presence (Skyscanner has offices in Singapore, Beijing, Miami and Barcelona) emails come in overnight from colleagues in other parts of the world that need to be ‘actioned’. Things move so rapidly here, so taking half an hour to get myself up to speed in the morning is essential.

My day begins with the PR team meeting to discuss what campaigns and stories everyone has been working on and how we can work together to make projects more successful. We assess what has worked well in different markets and see if there are things that can be replicated in another. Skyscanner is a company that truly encourages collaboration, and meetings like these are a great opportunity to get feedback and take on outside suggestions. Like most things at Skyscanner, these catch ups are informal and usually held in one of the office’s airport, hotel or road trip themed meeting rooms, and everyone is encouraged to contribute.

By the time I’ve worked on my own projects, which can include anything from researching what makes the perfect hotel, responding to journalist’s requests, writing press releases or meeting colleagues from other teams, it’s definitely time for a coffee break and maybe a game of ping pong if the table is free! Friends often ask if I ever get any work done with facilities like a dedicated ping pong room and games consoles available, but we work very hard to not waste time and make the most of the working day.

After settling back at my desk, I make to-do lists and respond to emails until lunch time when my colleagues and I get some fresh air and take a walk to The Meadows (if the Scottish summer allows!) It’s great to have such a beautiful area of Edinburgh on our doorstep. What’s more, there’s so many great places to eat near Quartermile we’re spoilt for choice but a firm favourite among the PR team is definitely the crêpe stand.

The afternoon is a good time to familiarise myself with travel news and see if any of Skyscanner’s stories or campaigns have been picked up by news outlets. It’s such a rewarding feeling to see something you’ve worked on get coverage. The rest of my afternoon consists of more meetings, emails and calls and slowly but surely, I begin to tick things off my to do list.

The afternoon always flies by and around 6pm I make my way to PureGym underneath Skyscanner’s offices to counteract the huge lunch from the crêpe stand!

Skyscanner is a leading global travel search site. With headquarters at Quartermile in Edinburgh, it provides instant online comparisons for millions of flights as well as car hire and hotels.