Business Continuity Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed this placement, each week posed a new challenge and there was ample opportunity to expand my skillset as well as increase my personal network. The atmosphere of the office was great and the experiences/events hosted by WM made every month feel unique. The workload was challenging but never enough to be wearing and there was always something new to keep me busy.

I was one of a team of three in the UK, seven globally. Being part of such a small team meant there was a much greater emphasis on communication and honesty and I think this worked to our advantage. I didn't feel like I was just there to make coffee and print things, WM make sure to clarify this stereotype isn't an accurate description of their placements and it's true. The work and responsibility I was given made made feel like I was part of the team as well as valued.

There are several schemes in place to ensure anyone doing a WM placement receives plenty of support and guidance. There are mandated training sessions throughout the year to ensure the professional growth and development of each individual. Additionally there are more focused sessions with your manager which allow for a more surgical assessment of your work, what you're doing well, and what you can improve on. At no point does it feel critical and it's clear they have your best interests at heart.

My work varied greatly, there was daily work to do and ongoing projects that would keep us going. But our team was also poised to deal with any and all disruptive events to ensure business function continued and that all employees were safe. With the outbreak of CV-19 across the world, work became a lot less action and a lot more monitoring. There was less to keep me busy on a daily basis but that was no fault of the com[any.

Whilst I was hardly able to go off and do whatever I wanted, I got the sense that when I was given a lengthy piece of work there was trust that I would get it done. As well as the trust that I knew I could ask for help and guidance. As the year progressed and I developed more I definitely felt that I was being given more responsibility with each month.

I have yet to return to University and I don't imagine it will be the same as when I left, but I have no doubt that the skills and training I have been given will assist me greatly in my final year. In time-keeping alone I have massively improved, if you struggle making 9:30 lectures I definitely recommend a placement as you'll never have a problem with them again.

The floor our office was on was small and fairly sparse, less than twenty people in our immediate vicinity. But because of this we were always talking and there was a friendly, welcoming atmosphere in our office. In our small group we had our own christmas party as well as going to events together.

If anything went wrong during the admin of my placement I don't think I'd know. Everything felt practiced and defined, having done this for many years there was definitely a sense that the level of organisation had been honed. The framework of the year was explained from the start and the "new joiners" session ensured everyone felt comfortable within their role.

The quantity of training session was fantastic, I did one every month at least. Additionally we had access to Linkedin Learning which bumped up the range of development areas to near infinite. Anything I wanted to learn or develop I was able to do so, if not within the company then through the access they had provided us.

Personally I would love the chance to work for WM again. I feel like I've just about worked out how to do my role effectively. It took a while and a lot of development but I'm a completely different individual compared to how I started. I would definitely take an offer if one was given.

There was a large group of placement colleagues, at least 50. There were a few company organised events at first to let everyone know each other. A couple of intern meet-ups before our placements started to meet our predecessors and learn a bit about the company straight from their experience.

It was London. If it wasn't for the pandemic shutting down all travel I'd probably be broke. But knowing that I would 100% do it all over again. Socialising IS expensive but don't let that discourage you, rather than going out every night go out every fortnight but to somewhere fantastic.

As far as I know the Nightlife was good, although probably very expensive and price gougey. I didn't really have much chance to go out, working 9 to 6 every day sort of takes it out of you. But if you have the energy there's plenty of stuff to do

Interns/apprentices are encouraged to engage in activities outside of work. There are volunteering days you can take off, where any donation you make will be matched by the company. Each month there's some form of new thing to try. Whether that's watching films together or joining Mahjong club. If nobody's doing something you want to do, ask! Set it up yourself