Communication Assistant Review

I have loved my placement year. I think the team you are with and the other placement students are a huge contributing factor to the enjoyment of the year. Everyone on the team that I am in is so lovely and always willing to answer any questions that I have.

Waitrose are very supportive of their partners, and praise is given where it is is due. I think that this is very important, especially during a placement year. It allows you to understand where your strengths are and can therefore help when returning to uni, updating a CV and applying for future jobs.

I meet with my line manager every week to discuss what projects we are both working on and if I have any questions or concerns. I also have a 'buddy' within the team who is there if I have any questions that are not necessarily related to the job role directly.

In PR, the level of how busy you are changed throughout the year depending on the seasons and also if big projects are taking place,. For example, the period leading up to Christmas was a very busy time, whereas summer time is a lot quieter and this is reflected in the work load.

Within the first two months of my placement year, I was involved with a business wide campaign and was looking after a vital PR for the campaign. Throughout the rest of the year I have been involved in a variety of projects and have been responsible for elements within those.

Working for full time for a year helps you to develop a strict routine which I know will help me when I return to uni, especially with managing assignments and writing my dissertation. I think being so involved in the team has also developed my understanding and I have gained transferable skills that will aid me during my final year at uni and my future career.

The organisation within the team has been perfect. However, within the personnel team, who our placement journey started with, we have had to ask quite a few questions, particularly around our development days and not really knowing who are best point of contact is for when we had any questions.

Throughout my placement I have been given the opportunities to visit other teams and visit our agencies to able me to develop my skills and knowledge of PR and digital PR. This was something that I was encouraged to do from the start to be able to maximise my experience.

I would love to come back and work for Waitrose within their press team.

I personally lived at home during my placement year as I lived so close. However, we would try and have lunch together at work and occasionally go out on the weekends together. I have also socialised within the team outside of work such as for Christmas parties and leaving drinks.

I was fortunate enough to be able to live at home during the year. This meant that I could socialise with other placement students and also friends of mine who were still living at home. Nearby towns are Reading and Windsor and London is only an hour on the train, so lots of options for weekend plans.

If you choose to live in Reading for the year then bare in mind that this is a uni town so there are lots of bars and clubs, even on weekends, clubs aren't too expensive. If you live closer to Bracknell then nightlife is very limited and you will have to travel for that.

Waitrose have a gym on site which is much cheaper than your average gym membership. They also have other clubs to get involved with after work. The partnership also do sailing so that partners are able to get involved in that on weekends and during holiday time. There are also discounted tickets to events that partners are to able to apply for and purchase.