Corporate Communications, Marketing and Events Review

I have had the best year I could have asked for. I have met brilliant people, had opportunities I would not otherwise have had, and most importantly I have picked up skills that I will take with me to my future career. Before this placement, I was unsure of what I wanted to do, other than write, after university. Now I know for certain I want to work in PR and communications.

I felt extremely valued throughout my entire placement. I was often told what an important member of the team I was and how well I was doing, which was a great confidence boost. My team was extremely small, just my manager and I, so I felt my role was very important.

I feel I could have had support whenever I needed it. My manager knew I wanted to go into the PR/communcations industry after university and would often give me advice. I was encouraged to try my own new ideas and change ways of doing things, which made me feel valued.

How busy I was in my role changed every day, as no day was the same. During lead up to events, I would be extremely busy, and on the day before/day of the event I would sometimes have to stay late or come in very early. However I was never TOO busy that I couldn't cope. I thrive off stress and I feel this made me work harder and also feel more valued in the team. There were also times when it was very quiet and I perhaps didn't have enough to do, but after extremely busy periods, this can come as a welcome break.

I was given a lot of responsibility during my placement. I researched, wrote, photographed and distributed the internal newsletter and had complete control of the internal and external digital signage system. During times my manager was away, I had to do things like go to some of her meetings, which I really enjoyed. I do think I would have liked to be more involved with certain projects, as I feel this would have increased my confidence when speaking in a group situation.

The skills I have developed in this placement have helped me in personal, career and academic ways. Personally, my confidence has increased greatly. I taught myself and was taught by others a huge amount on Excel and have gone from not knowing how to add (on Excel) to being able to make complex spreadsheets. I no longer feel restricted by being an English student, as I feel I have skills in business I wouldn't otherwise have had. Training was more of an 'on the job' experience, rather than direct, which I would have liked.

The atmosphere was great in both my offices (we moved half way through the year). Though there were quiet times, it was a fun office with friendly people. There was always someone to say good morning to. In the plant in general, every single person would greet you with a smile, and made me feel very at home.

I was the first intern in my team at our plant. This couldn't be helped of course, but it meant I had no handover, and had to make all the guides for the next intern myself. I feel like one thing BMW Group could improve would be the intern recruitment process, as at the plants it is done in quite an ad-hoc way. However, nothing went wrong for me and I couldn't have enjoyed it more.

I was given no direct training which, though a little disappointing, is fair enough when I consider there was not a lot of direct training I would have needed for this role. In terms of personal development, my manager and I had regular reviews about where I was at and what I wanted to do to reach further, which was great.

Though I would love to come back, the company doesn't offer many graduate schemes, especially in the department I would be interested in. I would love the opportunity to come back, but sadly I know this is highly unlikely, which is a little disappointing. If opportunities were to arise in the future, I would definitely take them.

For interns that live in Birmingham, there is a great social scene for interns. I started off the placement living in Birmingham and it was great to go out with other interns. Half way through, I moved home to save money, so social opportunities were a little limited. I did make other friends in the year as a result of moving a round a bit, and socialised more with them.

Rent was more expensive than my uni city, Leeds. I think it also depends what area of Birmingham you live in. The cost of living was average - I'm from Leicester so it wasn't much of a change for me. Going out at night is expensive in Birmingham, especially when you're used to student prices. However, the nightlife is great!

The plant is on an industrial estate, so there is no where to go out after work, minus one pub a short drive away, which we never went to. All nights out were in Birmingham centre or Solihull. The Birmingham nightlife is great, but it does make it hard when everyone lives all over the city.

Though there weren't really opportunities for me, there were if you wanted them. An annual 'Mountain Challenge' takes place, as well as a golf society and some football teams. The plant is a mostly male environment, so maybe this is why. The experience made me realise I would really like to work somewhere with other activities.