Purchasing Undergraduate Review

I enjoyed having a specific project to focus on – although initially quite difficult to understand. My project enabled me to work with other functions within Purchasing. I also liked the fact if you wanted to go to a training event/shadow another department you were not held back - but encouraged.

My manager, my mentor and some other colleagues were excellent. They made me feel very welcome and I really did enjoy working with them. However not all employees were happy about having to work with an intern due to the time pressures of their day-to-day job. This was understandable in an exceptionally busy environment.

As I mentioned previously, my manager and mentor were a great support whilst working at JLR. They were patient and understanding when helping me with my project. My manager also managed to fit in meetings with me around her very busy schedule.

What I liked about JLR was the fact it was your experience was what you made of it. So you could stand back and not get involved, but it would be of no benefit. There are so many opportunities available to you as an intern. I went on numerous site visits, factory tours, training days, many internal and external meetings, and was part of the graduate forum.

My project was incredibly interesting. It was a deep dive project, analysing a strategy JLR were using. They allowed me to have many meetings with external suppliers. If you show a willingness to learn and perform well in your role then you will be given more responsibility.

I'm currently taking modules in 'Purchasing strategy and techniques' and also 'Business Operations'. Already I understand far more than others on these modules.

I did not work with many people in the office directly and so this may have been a reason why I did not get to know as many people. Everyone was friendly, but all very busy. Therefore there wasn't much time to get to know people as my office did not attend social events together. I worked with another office and really liked the atmosphere there and so I attended their social events instead. If my project had been working with the people in the office I definitely think my answer would have differed.

There was not a general structure for all interns and so it was up to your manager. I was lucky in the fact my manager gave me more of a set structure in place than the majority of other interns. There were many questions we had about the placement which was difficult to get answers about. However, they did have Q&A sessions we could attend.

This was a highlight of my time at JLR. My manager encouraged me to go on training days and events. These were often offsite and were incredibly valuable. I have to admit, some were more valuable than others, but still worthwhile. This is where I learnt most about the Purchasing profession, as I had not worked in this area prior to my internship.

I would definitely want to return to JLR as a graduate and thankfully I have been fortunate enough to be offered a place. I would like to remain within Purchasing, but potentially another function within the department to the one I was placed in this Summer. I am looking forward to re-joining JLR next September.

I lived at home whilst working at JLR. Most other interns lived at Liberty Point (Coventry University halls of residence) - where there was a good social scene. I often attended their events including paintballing, bingo night and nights out. I'm glad I made friends with the interns that lived at Liberty Point. There were other interns (mostly those who had year long placements) that lived in Leamington Spa and the surrounding area. I also enjoyed meeting up with these fellow placement students and attended a pub quiz and an evening out in the town centre.

As I lived at home, it was far cheaper for me. Rent for the summer was very reasonable – although it is not very near to the Gaydon site. As JLR is based in the Midlands, it is far more affordable than those companies based further South. However, Leamington is more expensive than areas such as Coventry and Rugby.

As I live here, I already knew about the nightlife in the area. Leamington has several nice bars, that are more upmarket than those in Coventry. It is a lot cheaper than many other cities in the UK. Good bars in Leamington include The Duke, The Royal Pug, The White Horse and Bedford Street Bar. There isn't much choice with regards to clubbing options, although I did go to Smack with some of the interns.

I was part of the Graduate Forum when I worked for JLR. They had many sporting events throughout the summer such as rounders and football. I tried to play football every week with fellow interns. Most opportunities outside of work were either set up by the graduates and other interns, but nothing was organised by JLR itself.