Process Management and Quality Intern Review

Working at BMW has been one of the best experiences, filled with lots of progression opportunities, skill development options, additional activities outside of work, and meaningful/fulfilling work. Not only was the work itself enjoyable, but the basic companies principles and the work environment is not fault-able. I have had an amazing experience here, and feel very happy and lucky I was given this opportunity to get a real understanding of what it is like to work in a large organisation, whilst still feeling personal satisfaction and personal development throughout the whole year.

BMW has to be one of the best places to work, in terms of the colleagues you are surrounded by and the openness and helpfulness of team - Especially within the PMQ team. They were incredibly welcoming, understanding and trusting of an intern, which made working and going into work a joy everyday! During my placement I was able to work in many different teams, of which every single one was a pleasure to work within, and you can feel a real sense of value and appreciation from everyone.

Within my team i was very lucky to have open and approachable team members/management. Every month I would have 1-2-1's with each of my managers, of which during this time gives as opportunity to discuss any issues you are having, how you are feeling etc as well as guidance in any tasks you are carrying out or support you may need with this. No only did you have 1-2-1' which was more focused on work, but you also have Open-blend sessions with your manger which aim to highlight what matters to you in not only your work life but also inline with your personal life. Very helpful and nice to see how the company can adapt around your needs to ensure you are happy at work.

I had many daily/monthly tasks which kept me busy throughout my year, however from a personal level wasn't quite enough to keep me occupied all the time. In my case, my team were very open to give me more work however usually I would have to ask/offer my support (as I believe from their perspective they did not want to overwhelm the intern). With this being said, as i began to ask for more work and show willingness, the more tasks and responsibility i was given!

Throughout my placement I was given a range of different tasks, resulting in responsibility. My main role was was responsible for governance across Operations, which involved lots of monthly updates and reporting to be taken, which was then shared to the Operational Management Committee. As well as this, the longer i was in my role, the more responsibility i gained, due to the additional tasks i took on.

Throughout my year i was able to develop on my skills, specifically my Continuous Improvement skills, resulting in my gaining a Yellow Belt certification in Lean Six Sigma. There were also many training/Learn@work opportunities which help build your personable skills along with your work skills. Training included things such as public speaking, cyber security, confidence at work, dealing with conflict at work, handling pressure, SAF etc. With this, its allowed me to develop my CV as well as increase my employability in real life work scenarios, which are skills that can sometimes be missed at University,

As said in my previous answer, the atmosphere and the work environment was a pleasure to work within. I never had the dread the thought of going into work, and was always excited to work with my team and complete the work i was given. The general vibe of all the colleagues was that they extremely friendly and always willing to help if you needed it.

Getting through the BMW recruitment process was seamless, with quick turnaround times and great communication! Once getting to the office, there was a 1 week handover period of which the old intern was able to train me and show me how to carry out the tasks that needed to be done for my role. Personally i would have liked an extra week or so with the old intern, however i know now, the handover period has been increased to 4 weeks therefore this isn't something to worry about.

I would go back to BMW in a second, I would love to be able to get a job back at BMW - however due to the current climate of 2020, i think there may be a hold on recruitment for the short-term. A currently member of my team, was an old intern from a few years ago, so the option to come back is always on the cards.

There were over 50 placement students across the BMW group (BMW FS, NSC and MINI), meaning the social life was great, and there were always people to make friends with if you wanted to. I also lived with a couple other interns, so this helped build a stronger friendship group and have a good social life. (Especially as you only like 30 mins train away from London!)

The cost of living in Farnborough, was no more expensive than that of university (south university), and was was fine/comfortable to live there on the salary you are on as an Intern (especially if you live with other interns). Although there isn't loads to do in the Farnborough area like there is in big cities, there is still the basic things to do ie the cinema, bowling, etc, and it is only a 30 min train to London, so you have everything you need just a short journey away

Similarly to the above, there is only 1-2 nightclubs near Farnborough, in a village called Fleet which is about 15 mins away. They aren't the biggest as you would expect in university cities but again, if you were looking for a big night out, you can go to neighboring areas like Surrey and London.