Office Administrator Internship Review

Working at TPP has been an absolutely amazing year! I have been able to get involved with so many different areas of the business and have learnt so much in the process. The company is definitely run with the idea of work hard, play hard. There's opportunity to mingle with people throughout the whole company with social events always going on and pub Fridays every week. One of the best parts about working there has got to be the people! Everyone that works there is so welcoming and friendly and always willing to help.

With TPP working on a flat hierarchy, coming in as a placement student to a large company was really refreshing. Before starting my placement year, I thought being a student and only coming to work for a company for a year would put me right at the bottom of the pecking order. This really wasn't the case at all. Within the first few weeks I found myself interacting with Directors and the CEO of the company just as I would with other colleagues that had only been working for TPP for a couple of months. You are not only valued by your colleagues but you are actively encouraged to voice your opinions on all matters.

As TPP runs on a flat hierarchy, other than the CEO and Directors, everybody in the company is on a level playing field, so there are no managers. You are expected to be able to manage your own workload within the teams you work in and ask for help from other teams where needed. That being said, we had "buddies" in which we could turn to if we ever need some support or guidance.

There was definitely always something to do! There was never a day that I would be glancing at the clock because I was always busy. There was also never one day that was the same, with different jobs and projects throughout the year. Sometimes there would be days when you found yourself not having enough hours in the day to complete everything you wanted to, but with the way different teams interact and help each other, there would always be someone offering to help if you were a bit short for time.

From day one I was given a lot of responsibility which was great! Without having a manager, I was responsible for managing all my own workload alongside the other placement students. The company culture really emphasizes you taking ownership of all your own work.

With the placement year there is a lot of varied work. Alongside some of the administrative tasks involved in the role, you have the chance to work alongside the marketing, recruitment and finance teams. The role is also really flexible in that if you want to gain more experience in a certain area of the company, all you have to do is ask! The skills and knowledge I have learnt from this placement are very transferable so would benefit me in any profession I choose to go into after university.

You are definitely expected to work hard during office hours, but in return there are also a lot of benefits. The people at TPP are one of the best parts about the company, with everyone being so friendly and helpful at all times making a great atmosphere to work in. And with all the social events the company puts on out of office hours, there is always a lot of fun to be had too.

TPP have been running their placement internship for quite a few years now so there is a clear system in place. That being said, they are always open to improvement and change any aspects that might not run as smoothly as others. The year is a 13 month placement giving a month overlap for the previous students to pass on their knowledge and expertise to the new placement students which works really well. There is also a team of people there to always help if you are ever struggling or need any guidance.

With TPP putting on a tab at the local pub every Friday, it was hard to avoid the social scene! There are also a lot of different things to get involved with like walks, netball/football teams, games nights, other social events throughout the year. As the majority of recruits working at TPP are recent graduates, the average age of the company is generally quite low which means making friends at work has been incredibly easy!