HR Associate Review

On the whole the placement has been good. I have learnt a few fair things that I wouldn't have if I had not done a placement, such as being a project manager of fellow interns. However, it is a lot of administrative tasks that a quite mind numbing. I have also worked out this is not what I want to do in future life.

I did feel valued by colleagues. The people at SAP in general are all very lovely and have a good sense of humour. Despite this there is a lot of demand for high quality and a quick turnaround, if this is not received sometimes it can be difficult. On the whole the people are what make SAP and what I will miss the most.

This for me a a sore topic. When I first started I was given an internal university page and was told to learn evreything through that. I was not given any help with being a Project Manager until three months into my placement. My buddy was hardly ever in and helped me more with getting my access rather than teaching me. Most of what I have learnt is from the job, and now I am leaving I do not feel like I could go into another company into HR without intense training.

It varies massively. In February, I was incredibly busy and working from 800-1900 as I was running Assessment Centres. On a normal day-to-day I would not be hugely busy. Most of my work would be fire drills that came through my emails or people coming up to my desk. I spent most of my time quite bored. I also did not feel engaged or passionate enough about the role to take on more things within the department, so I took part in things outside of it.

I was given a reasonable amount of responsibilty. But I did not feel that I could make a final decision as I am only an intern and not a manager with any experience of a title. To some this can come across as being incapable, so a team member would increasing encroach onto my tasks. The biggest responsibility I had was as the PM, where i had 7 team members to organise.

My course is Accounting and Finance and I thought that perhaps my future calling would be in HR as I am a people person, and found Accounting quite boring and not what I want to do. I have since decided that it is not what I want to do, so I am back to square one really. I do have a few modules that this year might help with, but it probably won't help with my core modules.

The general atmosphere varies. If the company is doing well then the atmosphere is pretty relaxed. However, at quarter end, year end or if things are not going well then it can be pretty hostile. It is a very relentless, pressured environment. Personally, I get on with most of the people in the office and can laugh with everyone but I think if that was not the case it would be very different. Overall, the atmosphere is good.

I think that the intern programme as a whole is run very well, but I am part of the team who run it. We have Intern Development days which we chose what they covered, which were very valuable to us. Every intern was included in the recruitment process, which was amazing to be on the other side of an interview. The individual roles are very dependent on the manager and department, but it is very hard to control that aspect. The programme as a whole is run well.

The company invested into the intern group as a whole was given three intern development days. One on Myers Briggs tests, Presentation skills and Connecting with Clients. Two of these were outside the office and ended up being great days out for us all. On a singluar level my training was almost non-existent. The rest of the team would go onto training courses but I was never given the option, probably as they would be too much of a cost for only one year of work. If I was coming back then it might have been different.

For me there aren't any, as for non-sales role there is no Grad Scheme. The only Grad Scheme that we offer is the Sales Academy. This is a highly competitive scheme and being an old intern does not mean that you will get a space. If you can get onto this is it is amazing! So much is invested into you but they do expect big results. If you don't want to do this then your options are limited to whenever there is a headcount available. Personally, I would not return and I sincerely doubt I would be asked to.

There is a great social scene. There are events all the time and the Interns do go out with each other. We have been to Ascot, Rugby 7s and Wimbledon. The sense of community is strong and thriving. The Christmas party was amazing fun and all free of charge. There are Thursday night drinks sometimes as well. My team rarely go out as many have children to worry about but other teams do go out a lot more.

The cost of living is pretty high on our salary. I have a tiny flat and pay £525 a month - not including bills or furnishings. I also do not live in London, I live in the outskirts and this is still the normal price. The deposits for housing is ridiculous too. Some interns live in Chiswick and pay £600, which is half of our monthly pay cheque. I live in Staines and I personally really like it. It may not have the best reputation but the river is lovely, there are lots of shops, pubs, gyms and a cinema. I have found friends in the local area too. The transport links are pretty convenient as well!

In Feltham, where the office is based, there is not any night life. Nor is it the place where many would actually want to go out. But we have a free bus to a tube station and a train station. These can get us to places like central or Richmond where the night life is awesome.

There are quite a lot of things going on outside of yor department at SAP. I have recently helped in Apps for Good and got to go to the award ceremony which was amazing. My team also went and planted trees in the local community. Outside of work I have joined a gym and met some lovely ladies who I go to the gym and have dinner with all the time. I am also now a Brownies and Guide leader, which is highly rewarding. It is up to you to go out and find activities to do, some do nothing others do.