Network Development Executive for SEAT Review

I really enjoyed working here during my placement, I had lots of varied work and a lot of core responsibility too. As there were 39 placement students and a few grads too this meant the social aspect of things were good and it was easy to make friends outside of your team. The role was challenging, but the good kind and the culture there was really good, with regular 'brand updates' and things to make you feel valued.

I felt very valued during my time there, it was definitely a real job, to the extent that if they didn't have a placement student doing it, they probably would've had someone full-time doing the same sort of job. As you developed throughout the year you were given more responsibility and sometimes team members would look to you as point of contact for certain things.

Personally I was given a lot of support from my manager, who I had weekly 1-on-1s with where we would go over what was going on at the moment. She offered support whenever necessary and it was encouraged to ask a lot of questions to better your own understanding and development.

In my role I rarely did the same thing day to day, which was very good and most of the time I was a good amount of busy. though due to the varied element of the role this included a lot of ad-hoc jobs which occasionally would mean I was very busy, and occasionally had not too much to do. However I would say 95% of the time it was a good amount of busy.

I was given a lot of responsibility throughout my time, giving me lots of things to talk about in future interviews and allowed me to develop a lot of skills. Often you are the sole owner of something and the key contact when it comes to elements of the role, whilst also being supported by your team where necessary.

I think the skills learnt on this placement were invaluable, both general office working experience, but also industry experience. A lot of these skills are very transferable should you need them to be too. Training was generally very good with lots of core sessions and a wide variety of other sessions you can book on to if you want to.

The general culture was really nice, with forming more personal relationships with colleagues encouraged. In a brand you got a lot of brand submersion with regular positive updates on progress and success celebrated. Additionally on occasions such as Christmas we were given advent calendars and other things to make you feel valued.

I think overall the organisation was good, there were good core training sessions and aspects of the programme such as a project was a good initiative. However I think it would've been beneficial if all Undergrads started on the same day so it was easier to sort out logistics at the start. In addition, perhaps could've organised some social aspects The project although a great experience, kept being pushed back until it was bit too late when everyone was starting to finish. The grad scheme golden ticket was very unorganised this year, longing out the process for a long time. however the core was well organised.

There were lots of core training sessions which were largely very helpful. you also got to book on to as many more as you wanted, with permission from your manager, which were also targeted at full-time employees. Additionally, I personally was encouraged to make the most of the year and get involved in, or find out about things simply because I wanted to for my own development.

There are only 6 grad roles available and there is 40 undergrads in group, and around an additional 30 at financial services. This means grad roles are very competitive. Although you can apply for a standard job after you leave, you would have to apply for these around the time you were available to start and there's no guarentees of whats available at the time.

Yes, as there were lots of us there were often things going on, however nothing was organised by VW themselves.

I lived at home myself, but from what others said as Milton Keynes isn't a university town, cost of living isn't overally cheap, but isn't too expensive either.

Milton Keynes does have a nightlife, but there are no students which does somewhat limit it.

I believe there is a few sports committees you can join as well as many charity opportunities you can get involved in. undergrads are encouraged to be part of the charity committee, of which I was involved in, and I enjoyed being part of and organising several events throughout the year. I believe there are a few more things you can get involved in too but these aren't always advertised.