Finance Assistant Review

I absolutely loved my year as a Finance Assistant at VWG. The year provided me with invaluable knowledge & skills which I can use in my future career. Every day was challenging and I have developed so much as a result of the year. If i could go back and do it all again I would!

My role gave me real responsibility and I was performing business critical tasks regularly, particularly at month end so it definitely wasn't a case of just being given things to do for the sake of it. I felt very valued and supported by everyone in the department and know my work was appreciated.

I had a brilliant manager throughout my placement year who set me clear goals & objectives to achieve and supported me in achieving both these & any personal goals I had. My manager was very supportive and I really valued her during my time with the organisation. We had regular formal catch ups but I could always go and speak to her whenever I needed to and we also had informal conversations during work.

I was always busy and had things to do particularly during month end when it was the most intense. During the end of the month it was quieter but I always managed to find something to do.

I was given so much responsibility during my placement to manage tasks & processes and the opportunity to modify these if I wished.

I have developed so many new personal & professional skills which will assist me in my future career and I definitely feel a lot better placed to secure a good graduate job after this year. There are many opportunities to attend various training courses and workshops to improve your skill set which is truly invaluable.

The atmosphere was generally good & I liked the team I worked with. The seating arrangements didn't always make this ideal at the start of the placement however and I did feel a bit isolated but this improved when I was able to sit nearer the rest of the team.

Very organised and structured. Outside of the departmental role there is also an undergraduate group project which is an excellent way of learning about other aspects of the business & working with people you usually wouldn't have chance to.

VWG invests a lot in its undergraduates and sends you on compulsory training courses such as excel & presentation skills which are very useful. You are also able to request to attend different courses you are interested in so there is a lot of free reign to take control of your own personal development! The L&D department are excellent.

There is the opportunity to apply for the graduate scheme & if successful you are progressed straight to the assessment centre stage. However the scheme is very generalist so isn't the best if you have clear aims of where you want to be. It is a shame they don't offer entry level finance jobs or a scheme in this department.

Yes a lot of placement students lived together and there are opportunities to socialise outside of work.

Milton Keynes is quite expensive to live in & the cost of food & drink out is on the pricey side in comparison to traditional university cities. It is also quite spread out with different communities across the city none of which are easily accessible so you have to drive everywhere or get taxis to the centre.

Milton Keynes nightlife isn't great. There are lots of bars and restaurants which is nice but not any real nightclubs to go to.

The company had a few sports/social groups that you could get involved with. There was also a committee providing subsidised activities in the local area such as cheap ice hockey tickets.