Procurement Summer Placement Student Review

I have really enjoyed this placement, I didn’t know really what Procurement was when beginning the internship, 10 weeks later I feel I am leaving with a good idea of what it involves. I did not expect the level of involvement and responsibility that I was given. the work you do is actually relevant and makes a difference which is much better than other things I've heard about other placements.

My colleagues were brilliant, despite the fact that there was a big reorganisation in place, where there was a high level of uncertainty, when I joined I found that the team around me was brilliant. They all seemed genuinely interested in what I was doing and happy to help and offer advice which was brilliant. On the reverse side of that my colleagues were also keen on finding out what I thought of the work they were doing and invited me to feedback to them what I thought. this was something I thought was quite unique to the programme.

For me, as someone who is quite independent anyway, I was left a lot to work on my own which is something I quite liked. However having said that whenever I had a question or problem that needed solving or I didn't understand something, I could always just approach them and ask and they wouldn't mind at all, regardless of how busy they were. That was the same of everyone in my team, it wasn't just how my manager worked, it seemed to me that that was engrained in the ethos of the company.

This was very much up to you and given that there is a strong emphasis on flexible working within the company as long as you get your work done and to the agreed standard with your manager. Furthermore given the nature of the business, some day you would be very busy because you'd have a lot of stakeholder meetings to attend, whereas other days you would be less busy meetings wise but have a lot of work to do anyway. On other days if you were waiting for stakeholders to get back to you regarding your projects then you might not have anything to do at all, at which point you then find things to do.

I was given a lot of responsibility on my placement, so much so that 3weeks into my placement I was required to go and run an on-site meeting on behalf of my team in London. I knew absolutely nothing about what I was going into, nor anything about the topic of the meting etc., it was nerve-racking but in the end I loved it. I think because of the high level of responsibility I had, I had to learn an awful lot very quickly in order to 'hold my own' as it were which made the beginning of the placement especially, quite intense and interesting.

I think from the point of view of time management I have learnt a lot that will assist me in my degree and beyond. Before this placement I like others would have moaned about how difficult it is to finish to deadlines and how little time I had at uni. However after working at a company like Centrica for 10weeks I can assure anyone that compared to a 9-5 job, Uni is a walk in the park from a time keeping and organisation point of view.

Given it was a difficult time for many in the company due to; a large scale restructuring of the company and a high level of uncertainty, I was told it was not quite as fun as usual. However if that is the case then the atmosphere in the office is brilliant. Whilst I was there, there was a definite positive attitude in the office. There was often a lot of joking. Furthermore, at lunchtime in my team anyway, everyone would, if possible, go to lunch together promoting an inclusive, fun atmosphere.

Generally very good, though in places there needs to be some changes, most notably some of the event run through the Grad team, as whilst fun the events were quite often pitched at a slightly lower level than was appropriate. Also when I had my mid-placement catch-up with the Grad team they didn't know which office I was in which I thought showed a lack of attention to some of the detail. Having said that the Summer Placement programme is still in its infancy and so all things considered it is only moving forward and so I can see attention to detail being something quite easy to solve for the future.

There was the standard legal training that most employers would give you. There were also Summer Placement wide development days which looked at trying to develop your soft skills. As for programme specific training, for there wasn't much for my programme anyway as there is more of a learn on the job attitude when you are a summer placement student. For the grad scheme however each stream will pay for you to be put through professional qualifications, so I suppose if you are successful in your placement and then take the Grad job there, that is when you start really getting invested in.

Given the restructuring that was occurring whilst I was there the company are still trying to determine how a lot of the schemes such as the Grad scheme will work with regards to prospects. Having said that, given that they put you through professional qualifications whilst on the Grad scheme, the company are keen on you staying with them which suggests there will be the possibility to move upwards if you so wished. That being said I think that with a company like Centrica there is a definite culture of if you sit and wait for a promotion, it may or may not come to you, however if you actively seek out new roles, work hard and are determined then you can go as far as you want. There is a definite feeling of you make your career and future if you work for Centrica.

Given that the company provides accommodation for all Summer Placement Students generally all in the same place, there is definitely a good social scene and a lot of mixing between the different roles which gives you a good chance to learn about other roles and really determine whether you are in the correct stream. Furthermore within my team there was a strong socialising culture with many evenings out and the like.

The cost of living was the cost of food and travel to and from work as the accommodation was paid for by the company which was very good in my opinion. They didn't give you bad accommodation either. Given that you are put up in Royal Holloway University which is in Surrey on the edge of London, the cost of living might be slightly more that you might expect however given your pay and the fact that your accommodation is paid for if you don't come out of the Summer Placement having made money then you have done something wrong.

Given the fact that you are in Surrey in Egham at a University that is pretty much closed for the summer, there isn't much in the way of a nightlife in the town apart from the odd pub, which hardly qualifies as nightlife. Having said that there is a train link to London as well as Reading and Windsor is quite close by thereby providing options should there be a night when you all make it past pre's in halls.

As part of the scheme, you are given the opportunity to raise money for charity, which the company then match the money you raise which is really good. Furthermore you always have the weekends to do whatever you want as well as every evening after 5pm or whenever you finish. Given that you live with the other Summer Placement students someone is always up for something and so if you find yourself wanting to do something outside work there is always the opportunity to. Furthermore within my team there was a strong running and cycling atmosphere which meant that most lunch times someone would be going to the gym or going for a run which whilst initially daunting was fun.