Junior Brand Manager Review

I has some good days/weeks where I really enjoyed my work and had lots to do to keep me busy. However I also had periods of little work and minimal interactions with my colleagues so found those days passed very slowly and I didn't have enough to fill the working week.

My colleagues were really appreciative of my work and were constantly thanking my for my contribution to the team which really made me feel part of the team and valued. My team were also really friendly and I felt I could get on with them well at work related social events

There is no member of HR that takes responsibility for the group of interns. Therefore there is not a HR colleague we could raise issues with that we didn't feel we could take to our managers or needed advice on how to raise with our managers.For the number of interns taken on the support structure is lacking. I had weekly calls with my manager but these were hardly ever face to face and sometimes moved at the last minute. my manager works from home so I often didn't see them in the week so felt I lacked support from seeing and talking to my manager more frequently

This was very mixed. Sometimes I was the right about of busy and work filled my days, I could feel stressed but new deadlines could be flexible as we often experienced challenges. However I could often do all my work in the morning and then not have anything to do for the rest of the day. Many days I had no meetings so I struggled with a lack of work.

For one aspect of my role I did feel I was fully in charge of a very important project which I really enjoyed. Due to staff turnover the project was left with me and I had to keep it running. I did feel out of my depth at times but enjoyed the responsibility and being considered the 'expert'.

I developed my communication skills especially on calls, video calls and emails. I became confident in which was the best way to communicate what I needed to and clearly. Communicating is always important and I know this will help in my final year at university. I wish I felt more confident when I am in a situation when I feel underqualified and don't know what to add to discussions. So I still have skills to develop

Teams in the office did have more interactions and seem to have a laugh at work but where I sat most colleagues worked from home so it was very quiet. The atmosphere was friendly and you could always approach people at their desks. The office is pretty sparse, you can always get a hotdesk, and often the same one

There was good training at the beginning but then not much else was structured. The graduate scheme that was discussed at the beginning of the year as a big opportunity was badly advertised and had very tight timelines making it hard for applicant as it happened over the summer months at late notice.

I didn't do any additional training, my team didn't offer it to me but other interns did some good training courses. There are training courses such as how to use your outlook to its maximum but that was only offered to some and I would of liked to attend that. However there are interesting 'lunch and learns' in which you can develop yourself and your knowledge

There are some appealing jobs but at a higher level. Most people in my team were above 40 so it feels unclear how young people get into the jobs without doing work elsewhere first. they only take on around 5 graduates each year so chances feel slim that you could work there straight after university.

There are lost of other interns so there are lots of people to be friends with and do things with in the evenings/weekends. It can be hard as interns are scattered around and so meeting up can be hard. Also, you really need a car to get around as transport is limited. However I did survive without a car and am happy I did

Expensive. We had to get a half hour taxi to the nearest good club and being in surrey houses are expensive and hard to get for the year as students. I paid a lot more than I did at university for housing. There are cheap places to socialise but obviously a pint is expensive

Not great. There are a few options but typically these are filled either with underage people or old people. There are a clubs/bars and pubs so its nice to have that range of places and we did go out a few times and have fun. London is accessible for a night out although its a long trip home!