HR Planning and Performance Summer Placement Review

The Internship was very rewarding, I was given lots of responsibility and really enjoyed learning about the company and the corporate environment. The work I was given was useful to the company and was contributing to a process that the rest of the team were also working on which meant I became part of the team.

Centrica places high-value on interns and graduates and there's a strong feeling throughout the company that you are valued and are potential emerging talent. My colleagues were very welcoming, inviting me to meetings etc. and being interested in my opinions. I was also trusted with responsibilities from quite early on.

Despite being based in a different location to my manager, we were in frequent contact and had very good sessions together when she was based in my location. I also had a very supportive team around me in my location. People were always happy to help and would frequently ask me how I was doing.

My busyness varied on a daily basis but this is as a result of the nature of work I was doing. It was also dependent on how quickly I finished my work and when new tasks arose. I was often proactive in searching for work to do for other teams to broaden my skillset and knowledge.

I was given a lot of responsibility from early on. I was trusted with my own projects and had very clear ownership over them. However, I was also given very clear guidance and was not left completely alone to figure out how to approach tasks and was always encouraged to ask questions wherever I was unsure.

My degree subject and my placement have been very different, so the internship has taught me new skills which I can now bring into my degree to improve it. For example, the PowerPoint training I received will be really useful when delivering professional presentations, for example my dissertation presentation. The Excel training I have received will serve me beyond my degree.

There is a very friendly atmosphere in the office, people are working hard but also stop for a chat and to ask how you are doing. I often reached out to people to find out more about what they did and no one ever said no and often gave me lots of time.

The Internship was very organised from the moment I applied. The application process was clearly well-founded and organised. Once we had received the offer we were shortly added to a Facebook group where we could start to interact with the other interns and were fed lots of information via many routes. We were also given a place to live with all the other interns which was a huge benefit.

The company were very keen to invest in our development- we received excel and presentation training. Many of my colleagues also invested their time in me, teaching me about what they do, how to do things and giving me time to discuss career advice etc. We also took part in a 'Development Day' where we worked on our leadership and Teamwork skills.

If you are successful on the Internship then it is likely that you will receive an offer to return as a graduate. This is very appealing as it is a great way to 'learn the trade' and progress in your career very quickly. It would be a great offer and would be nice to start a grad scheme in a company you already know.

The Internship was very sociable because of the huge benefit that a lot of us lived together in university halls. In the evenings we would often cook and eat together and at work we would often sit together at lunch. Many interns also stayed during the weekends. There is also a large graduate network who often arrange social events.

Windsor is a fairly expensive area but because you don't have to pay living costs, everything else is just similar to other places. There is a cheap train into London which is great for exploring at the weekends and there are good local bars and restaurants. At work there is a subsidised canteen.

The nightlife in Windsor is not the best, however there are a small selection of clubs. Alternatively there are trains into London which may work out a bit more expensive but will give you more variety. There are lots of pubs and bars though in Windsor and the surrounding areas.

There were quite a few activities to get involved in, often it was just about putting yourself out there. There were lots of charity events to get involved in which was heavily encouraged throughout the internship. Colleagues often also organised drinks and meals to get teams together which was nice.