Account & Contract Intern Review

I have enjoyed my internship at a very good level. There has mostly been available work that has challenged me and gave me new knowledge that is valuable to how businessess operate. I have also enjoyed life outside of work with other interns as there is a form of structure around social events.

I have always felt valued by the colleagues in my department however I understand the beauracracy of business and that there are always going to be times where as an intern you are asked to do medial tasks. Individuals in other deparments also act accordingly and without any disrespect towards you.

The support and guidance I was given by my manager has always exceeded expectations, from the very first day I have been given structure. Starting with a checklist to introduce me into the business and then moving on to more structured follow up sessions on a weekly basis to track my learning and development.

At the start of the internship I was not very busy and had to resort to sticking my head deep into company handbooks and documents just to pass the time. As the year has gone on I have increased my workload greatly to a point where I am busy with various topics on a daily basis which is a great improvement.

As expected, I have been given more responsibility as time has passed. I feel that I'm responsible for various highly important tasks in our department which has made me feel valued and also motivated. There are a lot of financial and reporting topics that I am reponsible for which contains sensetive information so I have been impressed with the level of responsibility I've been given.

There are some aspects of my working life this year that will help me greatly in my final year of my degree next year. My use of Excel has improved vastly which will help in many aspects, as well as my understanding of accounting processes. Other than that, the structure and networking will also help me further on in life.

The general atmosphere in my office is very good. I am in an office with my subdepartment only so there is a very strong team feeling. There are rigorous standards set in place that are always being tested by everyone in the office, there is also a good mix of professionalism when there needs to be and the ability to make light of a situation from everyone involved.

The overall organisation was good, I felt that maybe there was some learning on the job and adapting the role as time went on - however I expected some aspect of that coming into the business just from first impressions. The structure has got better with the placement and also as I was exposed to more areas and roles within the business.

I think that there was a good level of investment by the company in me which is understandable as I was given roles of high importance and responsibility. The development aspect has been good as I have weekly interfaces with my manager to keep a track of what I'm doing and what I've got on my calender in the coming weeks etc.

In terms of catch back I think the current system in place is poor. As there is no official grad scheme process in place I would have to re apply like anyone else which in a way defeats the point of giving an intern knowledge of the business in the first place. Having said that I think that it would be a good graduate job with enough opportunity to excel as a career.

The social scene was better than expected for me. The regular social and Wednesday night football offer good entertainment in the midweek. This is down to the interns themselves though and not something that is reinforced by the business. The social aspects are good however, driven by the interns themselves.

The cost of living in Oxford is the worst in the UK. It's a ridiculously expensive place to live - especially as an intern that has had to move from the area. It makes it even worse where London, as a respective comparison has inflated wages to combat the high cost of living whereas there is nothing of the sort in Oxford. Interns within the same business living in much cheaper areas of the country are on the same wage which is something to think about.

Nightlife in Oxford is good, it doesn't stretch too late and the comparison of nightclubs to areas that people go to uni doesn't compare, however unfair that may be. The cost of nights out is a problem as it is hard not to spend a substantial amount of money on just a few drinks. There are however some really nice spots which are mainly pubs and bars dotted around Oxford.

Other than the social events that had been organised by other interns there weren't really any opportunities to take part in any activities outside of work. There is a department treasure hunt later on this month however that is the only department event I would have been to and that will be in my 11th month of my internship. Even the Rolls Royce trip was also organised by myself and another BMW intern by communicating to our counterparts in Goodwood - not set up by BMW.