Finance Intern Review

I really enjoyed my placement year in Sony Electronics because I got to do a variety of different tasks and there were never a dull moment. Every day is different. The people there were very supportive and this support has gave me confidence in my ability. I like the fact that I was considered an employee there, adding value to the company instead of being view as an inexperience and unskilled student.

At the beginning there wasn't much support from the HR (Temp agency) as they were going through changes. Overall my colleagues were very good in teaching me how the system and processes work. I always had the support whenever I need. I am the type that asked many questions in order to build on my understanding and they were very welcoming about that. They never once get annoyed because I asked too many questions. I loved my team and I will do my best to support them.

My mentor was very good, not only did he taught me how to do my job. But he also told me how Sony works and because he has over 20 years experience in Sony. He often talked about Sony before and his old roles etc... I felt like I could speak to him whenever I want, either it was regarding work or personal life. My Manager was great too. He was like a teacher to me, teaching me how to use SAP, processes, gave me tasks to do and most importantly, he trusted me. He was confident in my ability and often leave me with difficult and challenging tasks to complete. In my department, I knew I can get support whenever I need. Whenever I asked.

Every day was different. There wasn't a day where you will have the same experience. As a financial accountant, the busiest time will be during month end. But in the middle of the month there will be many different tasks and process improvement to do. Overall, the workload was above the limit sometimes but with my improved organisation skills and time management. It was manageable. I loved to face challenges so that is why I wasn't too bothered about the increasing workload.

At the start I was given enough responsibility. That quickly grew as the time went on. I was given the trust to oversee important processes and also to create new processes. I started as a Closing and Reporting member, then was given responsibility to handle some of Banking role and then moved on to Payroll in my last few months. So there were plenty of opportunity to grow my knowledge, skills and experience in different aspect of accounting.

The one major skills I learned was to wake up early and be productive early in the day instead of waking up in afternoon. This developed a good productive routine for me during my final year of university. Time management and organisation has also improved, that will helped with revision and doing an assignment. The experience I gained means that I could relate to the topics being taught at lectures and tutorials. It was also great to talk to fellow students about the experience you had. This can encourage students year below to do a placement year. I truly believe that every student should try to get a placement year. Because not only it greatly improved my employability skills. But it was also a valuable experience that will have in the future.

The office could get too quiet sometimes. But people were approachable, I found no issue in having a chat with some of my colleagues, even the ones that I don't directly work with. The positive atmosphere was that there were diversity in the office. There were people from Europe, Asia, South Africa, all around the world who works in the office.

I knew this Sony Placement Year Program because it was advertised on my university career/ placement page. I went on to apply and there was an open day. The open day include presentation about Sony, a tour around the Basingstoke office, lunch, group work and quick interviews. The process was not bad at all. The negative was that I didn't get to choose what role I was going for. The application included a brief "Where you want to work" selection and I picked finance. The HR process after I was offered a placement opportunity was bad. There were lack of communication and the general organisation was poor. Luckily, Sony Electronics Europe has changed its temporary staff agency so I hope the process is much better now.

Sony, my manager, my colleagues had definitely invested a lot of time and effort in training me. There were a lot of training done on-the-job and Google were my best friend. As cliche goes, time is money, so I am very thankful for all the effort Sony spent on training me.

If you do a good job and made a name for yourself, your manager would love to have you back. Sony is no different. I graduated in 2016 and I have gone back to Sony as a permanent staff. Do keep close contact with your manager and your colleagues. More importantly, do not be afraid to contact your manager and asked for a potential opportunity back in the company. What you don't ask, is what you don't get.

Socially, it was pretty standard with colleagues and fellow placement students. After work, colleagues and I sometimes go to a local pub. Fellow placement students and I sometimes plan events such as Top golf, drinking and going out. If I had any idea for a social event, I could plan it and email anyone who might be interested. Overall, it was good social scene.

As I lived at home and it took 35 minutes drive (no traffic) to the Weybridge office, I do not know how much it will cost to rent in Weybridge. If you arrived in Weybridge station, there is a bus that will stop at Brookland, in front of Sony building for free. Driving is not too difficult but expect traffic and congestion often. If you want a taxi, the reception would call one for you.

There are pubs in Weybridge, but generally I never been on a proper night out in Weybridge. However, Guildford is not far from Weybridge either by car or train. (P.S. Don't drink and Drive).

There were some sport clubs that were available. Personally I hadn't join any of them so I cannot say much regarding this.