Commercial Intern Review

I genuinely really enjoyed my year at L'Oreal. Although I really liked my role and the responsibility that I gained, the thing that made my year so amazing was definitely the people and the L'Oreal culture. My team became genuine friends for life, and I found that although L'Oreal work you hard, there is also a 'play hard', fun aspect to the culture. Learning is really encouraged and I have grown so much over the year. I'm sad to have left!

All interns at L'Oreal aren't treated like interns - they are such a huge part of the culture, and treated just like normal, permanent employees. I felt extremely valued by my team, as well as the wider division (I was in the Active Cosmetics Division). Wins and successes are regularly celebrated, and there was a monthly 'appreciation award' where people would nominate each other. I became really close to them all, despite there being a range of ages/levels, to the extent that we regularly socialised/met up outside of work too.

I actually had three different managers during my year at L'Oreal (people tend to move and get promoted very quickly there), but they all came from people within my team which I already knew so it wasn't disruptive. They were extremely supportive and really helped me to develop as a person - offering feedback on work, celebrating the wins, and always helping me if I needed it. I really admired and learnt a lot from them.

My workload definitely increased throughout the year, as my levels of responsibility increased. Not once was a bored or lacking anything to do - there was a lot of variety in my role and always something that needed working on. People tend to work very hard and often outside of the regular 9-5 in order to keep up (there is a flexible working culture). I found that in the last half on my internship I would often have to work late in busy periods.

A significant amount. My role started off as a sales analysis role, and then essentially developed in to more responsibility as I learnt and developed myself. By the end I was looking after my own £10M account, and building full year strategies, presenting and negotiating with retailers, and making key decisions. I think because ACD is smaller there is probably more scope for higher responsibility. I felt i was supported consistently throughout though.

Not many of the skills I developed will directly support my degree, but will definitely support my future career. The biggest change is definitely the level of confidence I have developed, which impacts presentations, meetings, etc. Commercially I have also learnt a lot, and will be looking to go into a similar sales or commercial-based role, which I feel having this experience will definitely help with (things such a s negotiations, forecasting, sales analysis methods etc).

Very casual and friendly. I loved that there was no strict dress code - officially it was 'smart casual' with 'casual Fridays', but casual dresses or jeans were fine throughout the week. The flexible working policy and work from home policy was also really nice - most people would work from home on Fridays. There were occasionally in-office social things too - like we had a Bake Off competition which meant homemade cakes every monday.

Well organised - when I started as an intern I felt that I had all the tools I needed to get straight into the role. I think a lot of it depends on your manager, as you don't typically see much of HR (unless you need to). There were socials with all the other interns, especially at the start, which was very well organised and a good way to get to know everyone. The intern review process was also simple.

There was a lot of internal learning courses that you could book onto - whether for technical skills/programs like Excel or Photoshop, or presentation and pitching skills. All interns have a full day of presentation training when you start. Learning and development was very encouraged, and there would regularly be talks and 'breakfast and learns' occurring, which everyone was free to join. The level of training, learning and development is essentially up to you and your intiative.

The prospects are very appealing - the management trainee scheme is an 18 month program involving three rotations to different functions/business areas. However it is extremely competitive to get a place on, as they have significantly fewer MT spaces available than they do interns applying. The application process is quite long. Just because you do an great job as an intern, and are loved by your team or department, doesn't necessarily mean you'll get a place.

I had a great mix of social life between the other interns, and with people in my team and division. Again, it's really up to you to make the most of this, and you get out what you put in. However, the vast majority of socialising was self-organised once you've made friends (i.e. organising after work drinks). I think L'Oreal would benefit from having more organised (and paid for) socials, especially for the intern cohorts.

I am from the north of england, so had to move down to London, and obviously found it very expensive! I chose to live within walking distance of the office (Hammersmith) which meant my rent was very high and was what the majority of my salary went on. Socialising wasn't too bad, just typical London prices but there were often happy hours in bars around the office which we went to. Definitely cheaper for drinks that central london.

The office is in Hammersmith, West London, so doesn't really have 'nightlife' in terms of clubs etc - but they are obviously only a short tube ride away. Hammersmith itself does have quite a few nice bars and pubs, with most being very near to the office, which we would use for after work drinks. Everything is pretty accessible in London with the tube, and obviously central London nightlife is amazing, so I was happy with it.

I would say socialising and drinks were probably the biggest 'activity' - biggest event is the Christmas party. I didn't really choose to get involved in other activities but I know that the opportunities are there if you want to seek them out. For example, i know some interns that took part in a Tough Mudder to raise money for charity. The company has a volunteer /charity day once a year where your team volunteers for the day instead of going to work.