Analyst, Used Vehicle Remarketing Review

I enjoyed my placement a lot and am glad I made the decision to undertake a placement year. Renault was an excellent place to work and offered a great work life balance. With approximately 20 other interns; the atmosphere was good and there were a lot of social opportunities outside of work. My role was interesting as well.

I was valued very highly in my team and given a high level of responsibility in my role. I didn’t feel like an intern at any point and felt like a valued employee. There are a lot of employee benefits, such as gym subsidy, sports & socials and the opportunity to take part in any events that Renault sponsor. Examples include Silverstone, Big Feastival, Goodwood, Jonathan Ross show, Mens Health races etc, which you can get involved with. highly in my team and given

I was supported well when I needed it, but at the same time was given a lot of freedom and was trusted to work on my own. Again, this was positive as I was granted a lot of responsibility and wasn’t constantly being told what to do. I was able to come up with my own ideas.

I was always kept busy and was never sat around with nothing to do, which is good. I would always have reporting to do throughout the month and was busier when new data would be released at the start of the month. I could always spend time trying to challenge the data providers outside of my general analysis.

As one of the only individuals at Renault UK with access to key sources of Residual Value data, I was given a huge level of responsibility. I was also given the responsibility of presenting at fleet meetings and even presented my own work to the board of directors. I was definitely trusted in my ability.

My role was very analytical and the applied experience I gained here will be very beneficial in applying for roles in the future. My analysis skills were already strong, because an Economics degree involves a large amount of analytical work. However being able to apply this skill in a professional context has developed this even further. My work included analysing Residual Values for the Renault range and identifying monthly changes versus our closest competitors in various baskets.

The office was open plan, meaning good interaction with your colleagues. The atmosphere was generally relaxed and dress code was not too stuffy. Given Renault is a French company, there was a nice mix of employees from Europe, with a number of French interns and graduates, which was good and gave a nice feel.

The placement was very well organised. We were given a thorough handover period for 3 weeks with the previous intern, where we learnt directly from them and had sufficient support throughout from HR. We also had a lot of product training at the start and were able to test drive all of the Renault vehicles which was cool.

Training was available, but was not necessarily pushed. Aside from product training events, we also attended specific events for when new cars were launched, such as the Kadjar and Megane, where we learnt about the vehicles and drove them around a test track. My role was not customer facing, which a number of the training modules are based towards.

If we wish to apply for the graduate scheme, we will be fast-tracked to the assessment centre stage. Employment prospects have not been made that clear by Renault however, which is one negative to state from the placement. Generally graduates look like they progress quite quickly after the scheme, which is positive.

There was 20 or so interns in the company, meaning there was a good mix of placement students. We therefore socialised and went out after work and there would be drinks held for leaving dos etc. We also had a very big Christmas party held in Battersea Park in London, where the entire evening was paid for, which was a really good night.

I lived at home for the year, as my parents live close by. It is generally quite expensive to live just outside London and drink prices will be comparatively more expensive to Uni. Speaking to other interns, their rent was moderate and they stayed in Uxbridge/Watford. A couple of the interns stayed in London, where rent will be slightly higher, but it offers better access to the city (although a longer commute to work)

The social scene was generally quite good, although comparing to University, it won’t be as good. Being in close proximity to London means you can get a train in and go out for drinks in the evenings in the summer, but it is comparatively expensive to uni. Watford and Uxbridge are nearby, where there are a few clubs as well.

There was a lot of activities to get involved in outside of work. There was a successful 11 a side football team that played against other local companies throughout the season alongside a cricket team in the summer. Renault have a corporate box at Arsenal with a draw for employees to win tickets for home games, and our team played in a 5 a side tournament down at Arsenals training ground. We also had the opportunity to get tickets to sponsored events like the Jonathan Ross show, Colour Run and Mens Health race.