Divisional Marketing Communications Intern Review

I enjoyed the placement at Eaton very much indeed. I was given lots of responsibility and tasks/ projects that had a real impact upon the company. During the placement I have learnt many new skills and also developed and improved others that I originally already considered to be strong. Examples of skills I have really improved during my time at Eaton are my communication skills, especially when talking to foreign colleagues, my presentation skills and also my proof reading ability. These three especially will be very useful for when I return to university and also in my future career(s).

Throughout my time at Eaton I felt valued by everyone around my own site of Cwmbran and others that I worked with from around the UK and also globally. Of course at the start it was nerve wracking meeting all these new people who had much more experience that myself but once the confidence started to grow, I really did feel part of a worldwide team and a key component in the organisation. I have also been able to build connections and network with colleagues at Eaton which could prove to be very valuable when seeking employment in the future.

My manager, despite being very busy and very rarely onsite, provided me with the resources, opportunities and the tools to be a success at Eaton. Furthermore, there was the challenge of having both a large Eaton workload and a significant university workload alongside one another. At the beginning, it was a struggle to manage my time effectively however, with the help of my manager, I was able to change this and be a success both at Eaton and within my university submissions. The support and guidance provided by not only my manager but also others within Eaton was fantastic and made me feel valued and respected.

At Eaton, there is never a boring day and I was always kept busy in my role as Divisional Marketing Communications Intern. Whether this was running conference calls, designing assets or simply replying to emails, the days would always fly by. The tasks and projects presented to me were very exciting too and kept me intrigued throughout my entire tenure at Eaton. Despite being in the Marketing department, I would not just do Marketing related work. I would also receive work from Human Resources (HR), Finance and other departments to which I would always do my absolute best to help in anyway I could. An example of this was introducing the Research & Development department (R&D) to our translation service team in Budapest and showing them how the process works. Examples including the latter were exciting as it exposed me to different departments and allowed me to once again network with many employees from different departments around the globe.

The amount of responsibility I was presented with at such an early stage at Eaton surprised me. This meant I had a real impact on a global organisation and I was able to test my skills and knowledge I'd learnt at university in real business scenarios. It also filled me with confidence and belief in my own abilities that my manager believed I was ready for such responsibility. More excitingly, the projects I worked on show physical evidence of my contribution and this evidence which will be around for many years to come which makes me proud. Lastly, how I've dealt with the responsibility this year also makes me very proud and I believe I have matured massively since beginning at Eaton. It was a real learning curve and one I would certainly recommend to others.

As I previously touched upon, by joining Eaton's placement scheme, I was able to test my skills and knowledge that I've learnt through lectures and lessons at university, in real business scenarios. Therefore, with this real business knowledge acquired throughout this year, I can return and apply this to my studies. Training was also supplied in abundance at Eaton and was always relevant. Two examples of training topics i had during my time at Eaton were perfecting my presentation style and also time management training. Looking to the future, by completing my years placement, I will have experience of working in my department of choice (Marketing) and I will thereby have confidence in my skills which have been tested to a very high level at Eaton.

The atmosphere at my site of Cwmbran (South Wales) was always vibrant. During my time at Eaton I visited many other sites and without sounding biased, I believe the Cwmbran site was my favourite site overall. I felt relaxed and I knew I was in a friendly environment in which if I needed any assistance, employees around me would do their upmost to help. There were always times for fun and to have a laugh but do not get me wrong, it is a hard working environment and atmosphere as well.

Very well organised indeed. On the introduction day, we were introduced to our internship program leader and all the other new interns. Furthermore. we were given a pack that included information for all the training we would receive throughout the year, an introduction to all the other interns and lots more information as well. Upon arriving at my site, myself and all the other interns at Cwmbran were paired up with the current interns. This allowed my previous intern to show me the kind of work I would be doing, introduce me to my manager and also answer any questions I had. The introductory period for me lasted 1 week but it can last 1-3 weeks depending on your role. As part of the placement scheme, you would also have quarterly reviews with your manager to assess how well you had been doing and what could be improved further. As previously mentioned, training would also be staggered throughout the years placement in order to see your progress, allow you to catch up and discuss with the other interns from different sites and also help you develop and adapt to working life. In summary, it was a great experience and I must say a big thank you to the team behind the placement scheme at Eaton.

Training was provided throughout the placement experience and covered a range of interesting areas. During my time at Eaton we had four training days in which myself and the other interns needed to travel and receive training. Excluding that, my manager trained me herself, helping me develop my skills and also enhanced my knowledge of the role I had. This helped my confidence to grow and thrive at work. Lastly, there was a large element of self learning in which you would need to go away and learn/ practice more. An example for me is self training myself on how to use Eaton's new internal translation service tool and then assisting others, globally, on how to use the tool efficient and correctly. I know Eaton invests heavily in their intern program and it really shows with the amount of support that is provided.

I would be thrilled to be offered a return to Eaton as I've enjoyed every minute of it thus far. Whether this return is at another site within the UK or abroad, I would feel very privileged to be considered to represent this organisation on a permanent basis. It would allow me to build and grow the connections I have already made at Eaton and also network further.

Yes, there certainly was a good social scene amongst my fellow placement interns. I lived with six of the interns out of the eleven at the Cwmbran site, and this therefore ensured there was never a boring moment. Not only this, but interns from other sites would travel to us or visa versa. Being in regular contact with interns from the other sites made the experience even more enjoyable.

The cost of living was relatively cheap. I did not live in Cwmbran however, and instead I lived in Newport which is 15 minutes drive from work. The house that I live in was also very nice. Furthermore, town was a literal minutes walk away and if Newport town didn't suit, Cardiff was only a 20 minute train journey. The social scene was also very good in Newport. There is a cinema, a gym, retail shops, a swimming pool, local parks and lots of restaurants and other hospitality businesses.

Honestly, even if Cwmbran did have any nightlife, I would be the wrong person to ask. This is my reasoning for rating this a 6 out of 10. Typically myself and the other interns would go into Cardiff or Newport town. Many work events would also be held in Cardiff and due to the large variety of clubs and bars on option in Cardiff, it was certainly the place to be for a night out in the surrounding area.

There were lots of opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work at Eaton. Examples for me include Monday and Tuesday night football and the 3 Peaks Challenge (climbing three mountains in under 15 hours) to just state a few. You also get large work events such as, during my placement, Christmas party and a colleagues stag do in Cardiff which was very eventful and very funny indeed.