MINI Events and Brand Partnerships Assistant Review

I loved my year at MINI UK, from the team, to the environment and culture and the opportunities, activities and events I was involved in, there was never a moment when I regretted my choice of a placement year at the BMW Group. Being part of a bigger group of placement students is also great. Relocating to a new area can be difficult, but when there are many other students around going through the same experiences, there is always someone around to chat to.

Working in a small MINI Events team, I felt like a real member of staff and felt valued throughout. The responsibility I was given was amazing, far more than I ever would have thought for my placement year! In events it's amazing to see your hard work come together to a tangeable final result, and the feedback I have had throughout the year from colleagues has made me feel incredibly valued.

BMW Group is well set up for placement students, all the staff are super friendly and willing to help and guide you should you need, all you have to do is ask! I met weekly with my manager to discuss work loads and projects, this allowed me the opportunity to ask for advice or guidance whenever I needed it. I was also given a mentor, who was a previous placement student within the BMW Group. I only met with my mentor a few times, but great to know that someone is there should you need them.

Working in events means your diary can vary massively; in the lead up to events it could be manic and I wouldn't leave work until late, however, this was counterbalanced by the quieter times between events. This makes for a good balance though and I loved being busy. I never felt like I had too much or too little to do, I was always happy with my workload and knew I could always speak to my manager if I wasn't.

The responsibility I was given during my placement year was incredible, I was heavily involved in all of the projects and events we were organising and was even given the lead role on some, for example, I organised 3 national sales conferences for over 300 retailers, managing the budget, staffing, logistics, agencies as well as leading the event on site.

I could not recommend a placement year more to anyone, the amount I have learnt this year is incredible, I know feel like I am ready for final year and even more prepared for working life once I graduate. Having real life experiences to utilise in my final year studies will be so helpful.

The culture at the BMW Group is great. The dress code is very relaxed, you don't have a set desk and instead we hot desk, this encourages you to sit somewhere new each day, and there is the opportunity for flexible working, such as working from home. This culture, alongside a friendly team, means that there is always a positive and great working atmosphere in the office. I always enjoy coming into work.

The BMW Group are well prepared for placement students and with a cohort of over 25, we have a dedicated HR contact and the system is well organised. There were some elements of the placement organisation which could have been refined, such as the contract signing process and IT set up at the beginning, however, I believe that these things are a challenge wherever you work.

The BMW Group offer continuous training programmes and activities throughout the year. These are not compulsory, however, you can sign up to those you wish to attend. I attended a few of these and found them really insightful. As part of our placement year, we were also involved in organising and hosting a Business briefing for all employees of BMW and MINI. I found this one of the best learning experiences from my placement year and a great opportunity to develop my presentation, team work and other skills.

There is the opportunity to return to the BMW Group through a scheme called 'Speed Up'. This is something which I applied for and was successful in obtaining a place on. This is an attractive scheme which really highlights that the company is keen to bring you back to the business. The employment prospects in the company are appealing, with the opportunity to move around the business and progress reasonably quickly through the company.

With a group of around 25 placement students there are lots of us living in the local area to meet up outside of work. I personally lived with other students, and therefore, speant a lot of time with my fellow placement students, as did other groups of students. We organised nights out, after work drinks etc. you could be as involved as you wanted to be, and obviously some people met up more than others. Overall, I was happy with the social scene.

Unfortuantely Farnborough isn't the cheapest place to live, however, there are options to suit all budgets. The variety of accomodation which my year group of students lived in varied massively in terms of cost. However, the salary which we were paid was reasonable enough in order to afford suitable accomodation and to socialise in the local area.

Farnborough and the surrounding towns is not best known for it's nightlife, however, we made the most of it. The area is very close to London, so if you should wish, there is some of the best nightlife the country has to offer just a 30 minute train journey away.

There were some organised activities out side of work, for example many of the guys were involved in after work football and there were also running clubs and other activities. I didn't personally get involved in any of these. The company could improve on it's offering of sports clubs and other activities, however, this is difficult given the facilities in the local area.