Events Support Intern Review

My placement at Porsche Car Great Britain has exceed all of my expectations. The amount of responsibility I have been given combined with the support I have received from the entire office has allowed me to develop into a much more confident and well-rounded individual. The office was incredibly fun with lots of social outings which enabled me to build strong relationships with my colleagues.

As my department only consisted of myself and my manager, I knew from the outset that I would play a key role in the running of the events. This responsibility also meant that I felt highly valued within the office and quite often I was tasked with organising and running events on my own which again reminded me how valued I was in the team.

I couldn't praise my manager enough for all the support and guidance they have given me. Initially I relied on them a lot of explain everything but towards the middle and end I became more confident to make the decisions on my own which they actively encouraged. Although I had high levels of responsibility, I never felt like I couldn't ask for help which I really valued during busy periods. The only reason I dropped a star on this point is because I felt I would have benefitted from having a regular 1-2-1 with my manager to assess my progress and provide me with more guidance on how I can improve.

Overall, I think the amount of work I have been given has been good. Events is difficult because you naturally have quiet and busy periods and there have been a few times where I have run out of time to do things and others when I haven't had enough time to complete all my tasks. The balance has been really good though and the majority of the time I found things to do to keep me busy.

As I previously mentioned, the department was incredibly small which naturally results in a high level of responsibility. From very early on, I was trusted with creating proposals from scratch, being the main point of contact for clients, providing site tours of the building, registering guests and managing the running of events. This level of responsibility meant that I have become a lot more confident in running events which is exactly what I wanted to get out of my placement year.

I have learnt so many skills which will prove invaluable in my future career. From communication with both senior members of the business, clients and colleagues, to IT skills and management abilities. As each event I organise roughly follows the same structure there have been a couple of areas I still feel like I need to develop, such as creativity, however, this placement has given me a fantastic foundation of all the key skills required for the event industry. I also received excellent training and was even given the opportunity to gain an extra qualification in Health and Safety which was brilliant.

The office was a great place to work. We were always laughing, making jokes and supporting each other. Everyone was really happy too which makes coming to work a joy and I genuinely see my colleagues as friends and know I could talk to any of them about anything - not just work related issues.

As Porsche take on new interns every year, the placement programme runs effortlessly. Initially we had all our training and a two-week handover period with our predecessor which was incredibly helpful and meant that we started our placement with a clear understanding of the company, brand and our individual job role. If we had any issues with the internship (such as feeling like you aren't getting anything out of it) then we had a contact in the HR department who would be able to assist us which was also great.

The company really invested in me both with time and with training. They allowed me to spend two-weeks with the previous intern to fully understand the job role and also delivered the majority of my training during this period too. They also enrolled me on two external courses during the year to ensure that my health and safety at work was a priority and both of these courses provided me with a qualification which I can put on my CV, boosting my employability.

If Porsche offered me a job after my graduation, I would honestly take the opportunity in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, they don't offer any graduate schemes so there isn't a job as such but there are plenty of opportunities to join the business in similar areas which I will definitely consider. Even though they don't offer graduate schemes, having Porsche on your CV will open many doors in the future.

The team were always organising social events which included quiz nights, escape rooms, ice skating and cinema trips. During my time, I also organised many social events, which was actively encouraged by the team. The only downside to the job role was that I was away from all the other interns at a different centre which meant I couldn't join in with their social events.

The cost of living near the role isn't expensive at all. There were many areas I could have searched for a house and ended up getting a room in a really nice area for £400 a month. Socialising isn't too expensive either and often I would spend around £30 on a night out which included taxi fairs. One thing to bare in mind however is that taxis are quite expensive as they automatically charge a village to village fair.

The nightlife is okay however the nearest town was about a 20 minute drive so not very close. There are lots of bars and clubs which cater for all kinds of genres which is great and all of the bars were pretty cheap with lots of drink deals. There are also lots of food places nearby to eat out in which is brilliant if you aren't so much of a clubber!

There were many opportunities to get involved in activities out side of work, many of which I organised myself. There was a good social group within the office which you could always rely on to join in activities with. I did try to find an art group near by to get involved in but I didn't manage to find one that I felt comfortable with just purely because I always seemed to be the youngest in the group by about 45 years so struggled to relate to the other members.