Category Development Executive Intern Review

I've really enjoyed the year I've spent at PRUK its a really fun company to work for and definitely a lot more interesting than other companies I have friends at. There are lots of opportunities to attend events and I've been on two trips away with the company which is a great benefit of working here.

I've been made to feel exceptionally valued by my team and line manager. When working for PRUK you are made to feel as though you are a permanent employee and there is little mention of your intern status and you are doing real work that people do appreciate and it makes a different.

My line manager has been really helpful throughout my time at PRUK and is always able to make time for me if I have any queries or issues. Working as part of the Category team as well is quite a small team so it means that people are always around to help you in any way they can.

There were a few times at the begging of my placement where I found myself not having a lot of work to do as the majority of my tasks are done on a monthly/ quarterly basis however as I became more confident with my work a lot more would come my way from the team and it's meant that I always had something to be working on. There is a good balance though as I have also found time to do any uni work that I needed to complete as part of my degree.

I was given a lot of responsibility over the year whereby I had a number of reports that I was solely responsible for many of which meant out to senior members of the company. I was also able to have a say with my own work and my line manager seemed to trust my opinion and let me handle work how I saw best.

I've learnt many new skills this year which I'm sure will help me a lot in the future, before starting at PRUK I had a basic understanding of excel however now I feel as though I really know how to do a lot with excel and I also had to start from scratch learning different data systems which I can now confidently use and will help me for future jobs.

The office is in a great location in Chiswick Park and it makes coming to work a really enjoyable experience. There are lots of events on the business park put on by Enjoy Work which make lunch times very interesting! Also there are many events during the day and after work in the office which really make working at PRUK worthwhile such as new cocktail tastings, pina colada day celebrations and st patricks day.

I didn't have any problems with the placement program it was all organised efficiently so you knew who your manager was, where you would work etc. There is also a 2 week handover between you and the previous intern which is really useful speaking to someone who has experienced it all already. There are also other interns and there are many social events set up to help you get to know them.

The company allows you to do any training that the rest of your team/ the business are doing at no extra cost which is really beneficial as it means you can learn things that can help you with your studies and it shows that they're willing to invest in you. The handover also greatly helped and I had training for all the systems I was using.

I'd love to work for PRUK in the future however I'm not sure if the grad role is for me and there are very few entry level jobs in the office as the majority of them require previous experience so it would be nice if there was a few more opening for grad roles that weren't field sales.

Yes, I've really got along well with the other placement students however it would be nice if there were more official things organised as usually it has just been us arranging events ourselves. As well it would be a nicer split if there were more male interns as it is often quite female dominated.

I lived at home while working at PRUK so I commuted in meaning I wasn't paying rent however it is quite expensive to live in Chiswick close to the office but it is not far from Clapham or Brixton which is cheaper. Socialising is quite expensive though but in line with most areas of london.

Not great in Chiswick but its not far from central london where the nightlife is good as to be expected. It takes about 30 mins to get the tube to central london but ealing/ hammersmith are both close by which have better nightlife.

They run football and netball has just started which are sporting activities. There is also responsib'all day which is a global day where all of the business go out to different local charities to support them which is really fun and a great reason to help the local community.