This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
BMW Financial Services is a good place to work for interns. There are quite a few interns in the same office so you all become great friends. The offices are very pleasant however, the location isn't great- but you tend to just stay on the campus... unless you walk to Morrisons!
Interns are an integral part of the team. You have a very valued role and most teams would not be able to get by without you! Different interns have different amounts of responsibility but you certainly are never lost for something to do or ever feel not valued. They treat you the same as any other team member.
Managers will not look over your shoulder the whole time making you work, they trust you and trust you will do the right thing. If you need support/guidance they are very helpful. One downside is they will not push you to get involved with other events around the company - you have to do this under your own steam.
This depends on what team you are in but different days bring different challenges and you are expected to prioritize accordingly. Some days you will have a lot of queries and a lot to do but others you do not have so much - and are able to go back and catch up.
All interns have a significant role within the team however most people are cross-trained so everyone can do any job. I think this depends on the team you are in as some interns have more responsibility/ high-profile tasks whereas others work "behind the scenes." You can always go out and find other things to get involved in.
The main thing is exposure- you get an exposure to a classic office working environment. The skills you develop at BMW FS will be invaluable when going into a different company. Your time management and work ethic will improve significantly and will assist you when going to back to Uni.
The Company
It is a classic office environment but there are lots of restaurants and events happening all over the campus. Sometimes there are themed days and charity fundraisers which are great fun to help set up or participate in. Overall it is quite a fun office for such an average location.
Starting as an intern, for me, was quite unorganized as not much was set up for me already. The work within your team is slightly more organized. Since this is a relatively new scheme for BMW FS, I think they have a lot of improvement to do on this front.
Flexi Time
Staff Sales/Staff Shop
Above 25 days holiday
Working from home
Unfortunately, BMW FS do not have a graduate scheme and should be noted before taking a placement here! This is a massive downfall in bringing old interns back into the business and is quite demotivating. You can leave your CV with the company but no jobs are secured at all.
The Culture
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
South East
June 2017