Product Assistant Review

My placement at Toyota (GB) Plc has been a fantastic experience as every aspect of it was just right: Toyota is a great company to work for due to its values and the way it goes about doing business, thanks to the fantastic people that work there, as well as the role which has been both challenging and exciting.

I have felt very valued by my colleagues, which have shown me a great level of respect from day one. My team in particular has been truly amazing, always been very supportive and helpful but have also pushed me, which has greatly helped my personal development.

The support I had from my line manager as well as from the wider management team has been excellent. My manager has been very supportive in providing me with everything I asked for, be it simple guidance on task to providing both personal development opportunities or more challenging task. What has been great for me to see was the trust I received from my manager as the market research I did and the findings and recommendations I presented to my manager actually went into proposals and meetings with senior management.

I was quite busy every day, but the balance has been just right in terms of the type of task and the skills they required as well as the workload. I never felt that I was wasting my time, nor that I wasn't going to be able to cope with the workload.

From the start I’ve had a set of responsibilities which I’ve had to look after, and I really appreciated that. It meant that I felt a sense of being needed and respected from day one and it made my work even more enjoyable. Over time I have also asked for more responsibilities, which my line manager happily provided.

I feel that the skills I gained from the placement are going to be invaluable, for my final year at university and in particular for my career to come. From simple organisation, time and workload management skills to vital presentation skills and learning how to communicate effectively, this placement provided me with very important skills that will be a great asset for my future.

Working at Toyota is highly enjoyable because of many things, but mainly because of its people and the great atmosphere in the office. People are very supportive and always happy to answer questions or guide you in the right direction, if you're unsure who to speak to to solve problems or find out things.

The organisation behind the placements is incredible. To start with, the recruitment process was very smoothly, communication at each stage of the process was great and the outcome was communicated very quickly. This continued with getting set-up in terms of signing contract and ordering a lease-car, to finding a start date and help find accommodation. Once I started, the great organisation of the placement scheme continued to shine through as we were invited to helpful training session as well as exciting corporate induction events.

Personal development opportunities at Toyota are great, simply because of the sheer size of the organisation. There are many training and development opportunities available that the company offers internally and there is even more available beyond that. There are so many events and projects going on at any time, just ask to get involved.

The Toyota (GB) Plc graduate scheme is only open to their placement students only, so chances could not be better. This means that if you perform well during your placement, chances are great you will get onto the graduate scheme. From there its all down to you and how quickly you want to progress, but there are certainly many examples in the business that show that you will be rewarded for the effort you put in.

There are around 20 placement students at Toyota (GB) Plc each year, and it is a great bunch of people. We usually each lunch together in the canteen and meet up outside of work for socials, night outs etc. Most of the students also share houses, so its definitely easy to connect to people and make great new friends.

Its safe to say that the south-east of England doesn't compare with i.e. the Midlands, but then the salary and benefits at Toyota (GB) Plc are excellent compared to other placement opportunities, so it all works out fine in the end.

There are lots of pubs/bars/clubs around in the local area, i.e. Epsom/Kingston/Sutton and you're quickly into London, so plenty on offer in terms of nightlife.

There’s a Sports & Socials club at Toyota (GB) Plc which organises socials and events on a monthly basis but also run sports societies, which is a great opportunity to get to know lots of people in the company and have fun at the same time.