HR & Finance Review

When I first came into the role as a HR and Finance intern I did not expect the level of responsibility I have had over the past year, especially from day one. There has been a constant level of work and as I have progressed through the year been given more and more lead with projects and tasks. I have constantly been learning new skills and have extremely enjoyed my time as part of Eaton.

From day one my colleagues have always been extremely helpful and made all of the interns feel welcomed. Although I am part of a small team in my department I have felt valued by my manager throughout my whole internship and this has been shown through the big tasks I have been trusted to lead on.

Throughout my year, I have been managed by three different managers split across two different departments who have helped and guided me through my internship. I strongly believe that without their expertise and encouragement I would not have learnt as much as I have and improved my skill set to such a high level.

In the HR department no two days are the same, there is constantly work to be doing if that is responding to emails, working on projects or answering any general ad-hoc questions from the employees, there is always something to keep you busy. I have never been bored during my placement year there has always been something to keep me busy.

During this placement, I have been carrying out roles that a normal HR generalist would be carrying out. I have never felt like just an intern as I have always had high levels of responsibility during the year, such as being the main point of contact across 2 sites for Payroll.

My skills I have developed through this placement I will carry with me for a long time. I came into this not really understanding how a HR department truly worked and what different tasks needed carrying out day to day to ensure good employee relations. However, now coming to the end of my year here at Eaton I have the confidence to say that the skills developed during this placement will help me greatly in the future to secure a HR Grad Scheme.

The office I was based within had a very friendly atmosphere everyone was extremely welcoming and always asking how you are getting on or if there is anything you need help with. Even though it is a small site all the employees are extremely positive throughout your year with them.

At the beginning there were a few bumps in the road with system access but one this was resolved the internship ran smoothly. The internship program means that all interns across Eaton meet up and take part in regular training sessions to enhance workplace skills. All the events and the internship has been well organized which has been very beneficial.

I feel like the company heavily invested within my personal training and development, from sending me on excel courses to the intern training days there was always an event on to enhance your skills. These training days are not just to help with your internship but they are skills you can carry with you for life

From the opportunities I have had with the business I would definitely say that if I got offered a graduate scheme I would take it. Eaton mainly take their graduates from the internal pool of interns so the chance of future employment with the company is high, especially being an intern.

At the site that I am based on we have 6 interns on site so the social aspect been us is extremely high. At weekends we normally arrange to go out and do something and we will always have lunch together whilst at work. All the other interns have been very welcoming and always up for socializing in the week as well as weekends.

The cost of living in the area I work within is fairly cheap however, it is a fairly quite little town with not much happening. Coming from a busy university town I chose to live around 35 minutes from where I worked. The main expense for me would probably we fuel but it is not overly pricey to go on nights out or live in the area.

All the interns have been on a few nights out during our year here. Cheltenham is a good night out and easy access for many locations, this is probably the town where the nightlife is. Gloucester is located near however, this is mainly full of bars and places to get food so there is a variety around the area

With being a small plant there is not a lot of activities outside of work. There is a regular exercise class that takes part once a week and a football training which happens in the summer. During the summer there is one off rounder's games where the new interns can communicate and get to know everyone in the office.