Innovation Associate Review

My placement at SAP has given me countless opportunities to learn, challenge myself and have a lot of fun. Although repetition is inherent in the nature of having a single job-role, I have had the opportunity to work across several teams on a real variety of work, while opportunities such as travel between UK offices, events, customer visits and new projects mean that it is unusual for one week to be the same as the one before.

The Placement team at SAP are especially supportive of interns. The team values and recognises individual interns' talents and will often help instigate new opportunities upon an interns request. They have continued to offer creative solutions while we are working from home during the Coronavirus Lockdown. The wider SAP management are always looking out for interns and employees alike. There are regularly small things that are a bit of fun at the office such as Pick&Mix sweets or coffee and cake mornings.

I have always felt valued across my work at SAP. Your interaction with your managers is key and of course some will have more time for you than others. In my experience, even if one of your direct managers has less time for you, someone else in the team will always be really supportive and be able to offer help. I found networking at the beginning of your placement and throughout goes a long way. I have been able to get to know several full-time employees across the business and not only rely on them to give me work when I am a little quiet but also have felt comfortable asking them when faced with a personal issue at home or with other SAP matters.

At the outset of the placement in July it is common for interns to be quiet, this is primarily because the business is a little quieter than normal and also because you're still learning the ropes. However, I found the amount of work ramped up quickly, not to an unmanageable level as managers are very proactive in asking what you can and cannot take on. SAP is very much not a work all hours kind of business, however I also think it is important for interns to recognise when they need to work especially hard or put in a little extra time to help the team and reach the end goal.

SAP offers a 70% / 30% split, meaning interns can choose to not only work with their current team and hiring manager but also spend roughly 30% of their time with another team. In my case, I took my 30% with legal. Within this role, I was given real responsibility and established a strong working relationship with several of the lawyers. After receiving training, I was passed significant responsibility, handling, in the most part independently: non-disclosure-agreements, research and case-notes for deals and internal issues and in one instance I drafted a response letter for a contentious issue. I never expected to have this level of responsibility while working as an unqualified legal intern and have been fortunate to have an insight into so many of these key legal skills.

Working at SAP has served to expand my horizons considerably. Although working primarily in a non-law related role, I continue to be seeking a graduate position in the legal profession, however I am now more focussed, with a reasoned and well-rounded perspective of what I'd like to do in the future. I am more commercially aware, having had an insight into the market and key motivators for a cross-section of SAP's customers through research in my Innovation role. Furthermore, I have had practical expeirnece of many of the key skills lawyers use day-to-day, something that is very hard to simulate within a law degree.

There are several offices, however I was primarily based in the London HQ in Feltham, Middlesex. Busy and professional yet not too formal. Generally, the hierarchy at SAP is very flat, all employees work in an open-plan office space and there are no separate offices even for the most senior staff. This makes for a very sociable and comfortable workspace, albeit sometimes loud when others are on calls. The free canteen provides a perfect opportunity to get to know your colleagues in a social setting at work, this is definitely a significant factor in the positive and welcoming attitude around the office.

Very well organised. The internship begins with an onboarding period, where you meet management, are introduced to the basics and receive some training. This is a valuable arrangement and also allows you to get to know the rest of the intern cohort quickly. The placement team then continue to be involved with interns throughout the thirteen months always providing new opportunities to get all involved.

SAP offers employees countless personal and professional development resources. There are several online subscriptions such as Pluralsight that interns have access to, furthermore the Placement team offer sessions on key topics suggested by interns such as LinkedIn and Presentation skills. It is entirely up to you how much you engage with these resources, which means there is no pressure to be doing extra-curricular learning when you are particularly busy in your main job role.

Considering SAP's culture and environment I would be keen to work for the company again. For me personally, I am looking to pursue a Training Contract with a law firm and therefore am not sure SAP offers the role I am seeking. However, I know several interns who are very keen to work for SAP in the future and have succesfully built contacts within the company that may enable them to do so.

With so many interns in a cohort, often at least 50, the social scene with others is not too far apart from being at University. There are always opportunities to meet for drinks or go out. Groups of interns also regularly meet at one another’s houses. In my experience, with so many interns from different universities and backgrounds there are always smaller and larger groups which makes it easy to always be in touch with people and enjoy a social life outside of work.

The cost of living in London is as expected. Rental price varies quite substantially between areas, however you can live further away from Feltham in nicer areas and travel to the office remains very easy and affordable. I am living in a four-bedroom house in Feltham with four other SAP interns and am paying £470pm, I am pretty sure this is quite a good price for the area and know of few interns paying less. Socialising in London is also expensive however is also brilliant and a real change from a small University town.

London has an amazing nightlife and it is very cheap to travel into central to go out, or alternatively Clapham or Richmond to go for intern drinks. Travelling via public transport is all very easy and many buses run 24-hours so staying out late is not stressful. Around Feltham specifically there is less nightlife.

Interns are often the first to know about new events or activities and always have the opportunity to get involved. SAP run numerous customer events throughout the year and interns often can sign up to help backstage, furthermore interns in certain roles can demonstrate or present to customers. SAP also runs a charity challenge, encouraging interns to be proactive in raising money for a chosen cause. This is encouraged and usually popular among interns.