Assistant, HR & Training Review

I really enjoyed my placement year at Renault. I was part of a friendly team and was given a number of opportunities that made it an unforgettable year.

I definitely felt valued within the team and I never had to complete work that had no purpose. This was an excellent aspect of my placement year as I could always see the importance of the work I was doing within the overall departmental objectives. I had a number of tasks that the team relied on which highlighted the importance of my position.

I had regular 1:1 meetings with my manager which where helpful as it meant we could discuss where I was up to with different tasks and projects.

I always had plenty to do and never felt bored. 1:1 meetings with my manager provided me the opportunity to discuss the amount of work I had to do.

I feel I had the right level of responsibility for a placement student. There was always someone in the team who I could ask for help if I was struggling with anything.

I hope that my placement will help me with my final year at university but I believe my placement will be invaluable when I search for a graduate position. We had product training that was organised specifically for the placement students and there were other training opportunities that permanent members of staff were offered: such as new product training and Microsoft Office training.

There is a great culture at Renault which meant that the atmosphere within the office was open and friendly.

Well established programme with a 3 week handover from the previous placement student.

I was set a number of objectives that were in line with the department's objectives. These were reviewed mid way through the year.

There is a rotational graduate scheme at Renault and this year they introduced a graduate scheme partnering with Renault Retail Group and Renault Financial Services. Personally this doesn't suit my career aims but the graduate scheme is very attractive and after 2 years the graduates are working at managerial level positions.

Great social scene between the placement students. With approximately 20 students, this meant that we were close as a group and regularly socialised outside of work. Nissan are based in an office next door to Renault and they also have a number of placement students. This means there were plenty of people to choose accommodation with if needed and there is a joint Renault/Nissan Facebook group which placement students are invited to join before they start.

Renault is based in Rickmansworth which is just on the outskirts of London. Myself and 3 others found a reasonable house only 1 mile from the office but other people lived in Uxbridge, Watford or London. Rent isn't exactly cheap but you could avoid paying central London prices by living close to the office. I paid £400 p/m excluding bills which seemed reasonable for the area. Rickmansworth has a regular and fast tube service into London so we often went into London for social events.

Rickmansworth has a few pubs but we were close enough to London to never feel bored. Watford and Uxbridge where pretty close too if we wanted a night out that was closer to home.

There were company wide social activities and opportunities to represent Renault at a number of events as a brand ambassador.