Business Operations Review

I loved my work placement at Oracle. I learnt a lot about the industry and how to adapt and work in this fast moving environment. I had a great team around me and everyone at Oracle was always so willing to help me with any questions and to provide me with new opportunities. I had a fantastic mentor who has supported me throughout and ensured that I was getting the most out of my placement. The intern programme is well supported and a lot of opportunities are created for us to provide a rounded experience. I cannot fault it!

I felt very valued by my colleagues at Oracle. They always checked up to see how I was progressing and how I was enjoying my placement. They always wanted to know the sort of work I enjoyed doing and what more I wanted to learn during my time with them. They did not hesitate in answering any questions I had, no matter how long it would take them to explain which was really great and any work that I did for them they were always very appreciative and gave me credit.

I can't fault the support and guidance I was given by my management. Whether this be personally or professionally, I always felt that management wanted to know and wanted to help and they provided a lot of support to help with my development whilst on placement and the potential for development after University.

I was relatively busy on a daily basis, largely from the work from my team, supporting sales teams across all of Europe, but also from extra opportunities that I became involved in. This ranged from getting involved in different lines of business and also becoming involved in extracurricular opportunities such as fundraising events and intern activities.

I felt I was given a good amount of responsibility during my placement. As I progressed and learnt more, I found myself doing work for people who were more senior within the business and creating presentations/reports that were used in large team calls. This was great because it made me responsible for my own work and helped me to learn a lot.

The skills I developed on placement are very different to the skills I have learnt doing a History degree. It taught me a lot of practical skills to do with analysis and how to work in a fast changing environment. I also received training in Sales such as how to present well and I learnt about the products which are skills that I can use in my final year of university as well as hopefully in my future career.

The general atmosphere was very positive and friendly. I felt very at home and welcomed by other employees. It is also great because it felt like quite a relaxed environment which makes the first few weeks easier and helped me to settle in quicker.

It was organised very well. We always had events in our calendar weeks in advance so that you could fit work around them and we had regular 1-1s to ensure that any problems we had were addressed and so that our progress could be tracked. Also, people at Oracle are invested in the placement scheme and so are very willing to help you and ensure that you get a lot out of your year which is really great.

I felt my personal training and development were very invested in, both in my team and through the intern programme. I had regular 1-1s with people in my team to track where I was at and where I would like to be and what more I would like to learn and they got me involved in training sessions. Also, within the intern programme sessions are set up to help with your development in presentation skills and in practical skills that will help you in your career. Not only this but the mentor scheme means that you are always developing and so you do feel that you are invested in as an employee, not because they have to, but because they want to.

Very appealing!! I would love to come back after I have finished my degree. I have had such a positive experience on placement and have felt so well supported that I think it would be a great place to start my career after graduation. People have shown me what a positive experience they have had working long-term within Oracle and so I would jump at the chance.

It is encouraged within the intern cohort to socialise with one another outside of work. I found living with other interns really helped with this and is something I would do again if I had the option. There was an organised Christmas party for the interns and there is an end of year event for us all to get together at. Also the intern sessions that are organised within work hours is a great opportunity to socialise with each other. I also had a great social scene with my colleagues. I supported a team who worked really hard to keep my involved with any social events that they organised and this continued during the pandemic with quizzes and virtual afternoon teas which was really great.

I found rent to be relatively high in Reading which was expected with it being so close to London. It is manageable though with a wage which helps a lot. Socialising is quite expensive, especially in comparison to the prices I had experienced whilst studying in the North. Aside from slightly expensive socialising and the price of rent it is ok.

I wouldn't say that the Nightlife was particularly great in Reading. There are some nice bars and a couple of nightclubs, but aside from that it felt quite limited. However, you are so close to London and other cities that this isn't really a problem as you can travel if you want.

There were a lot of opportunities that work provided that were run outside of work. Palace to Palace, the Tough Mudder and the Winter Run are great examples of this. There are a fair number of volunteering opportunities that you can get involved in outside of work such as volunteering at a girl guiding unit etc.