Marketing Assistant Review

I honestly couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable placement year at Gazprom Energy. From day one I was given real responsibilities that continued and expanded throughout the year, as well as opportunities to work on things outside of the usual marketing responsibilities. Aside from the role, the social side also made my year really enjoyable, the people at Gazprom Energy are great and I've made a lot of friends I'll continue to stay in touch with in the future.

Having been given the opportunity to work with multiple departments thoughout the placement year I really felt like a valued member of the team. At no point did I feel like I was "just an intern" I was always given tasks with real consequences and felt valued when these were completed to a high standard.

The support and guidance from my manager on my placement year was great, very supportive and she was always looking for new opportunities to enhance my placement experience. I had weekly one to one meetings where I could give updates on things I'm working on as well as communicate any issues or worries I had at any point.

Much of the work I was involved in was project based so how busy I was depended on the time of the year and when certain events and campaigns were planned. However I can say that I was never bored at any point on my placement as I also had weekly tasks and was always given the opportunity to take on new responsibilities if I ever felt as if I could take more on.

I was given real responsibilities from day one. The support given alongside this is great and I always felt that if things became too much that I could ask questions or ask for help whenever I needed it. I was allowed to work on real projects with real consequences building up to taking a lead on organising various events and projects.

I feel that what I've learned on my placement year will greatly assist in the final year of my degree. Throughout the year I was able to apply my learning at university to my role as well as challenge theories that I studied against my real world experiences. Things that I worked on on placement also influenced my module choices for my final year as it gave me an idea of aspects of marketing that I'd like to learn more about.

The office atmosphere is always really positive, everyone is really friendly and it's quite a laid back atmosphere in terms of being able to walk over to colleagues to ask for help or ask questions. In addition to this there is a good balance between work and play allowing you to have a fun with colleagues but also providing a hard working atmosphere.

On my first day I was given my objectives for my first few months so I knew exactly what I was going to be working on for my probation period. Once I'd settled I was able to talk to my manager about what I'd enjoyed most and what I wanted to work on more, so that I could have a say in the structure of the rest of my placement year. I always knew what I needed to be working on.

I had a range of different courses and workshops made available to me on a variety of different topics and areas. I had the same choice of training as the permanent staff in the company and my team was always very keen to mentor me and allow me to shadow them if I ever wanted to develop my skills in their areas.

There's currently no permanent graduate scheme at Gazprom Energy. But this is not to say that once you're placement is over that there are no future prospects with the company after university, a number of colleagues that I met were previously interns! The company really values its people and i felt encouraged by colleagues to look for future opportunities within the business for after I graduate.

The social scene was really great, having moved to Manchester not knowing anyone in the city I found it really easy to make friends and get involved with social events going on in the company. With the office being based very close to the city centre there was always things going on after work that I could get involved in with colleagues.

In comparison to other places Manchester was quite reasonable in terms of costs of living; rent and bills were pretty standard and I managed to save a lot on travel by living within walking distance to the office. I was always able to live comfortably whilst also being able to afford to go out with friends and enjoy myself at the weekend.

There was such a wide choice in clubs and bars around the office area with it being situated in the city centre. There's such a variety in Manchester so there really is something for everyone, pretty much on your doorstep. It's also all quite reasonably priced with a range of places to go to suit your budget.

Yes, Manchester is such a vibrant city and there's always lots going on. Whether you're interested in sports, music, art or anything there is plenty that you can get involved in outside of work. I personally enjoyed the variety of music shows available in Manchester and of course with the city having two football teams there was plenty of sport to watch on weekends.