Supply Chain Intern Review

Working as an intern with The Body Shop, is an extremely enjoyable but challenging experience. I thoroughly enjoy my job role, working as part of a great team, but also working for such a strong ethical company.

I was very fortunate to be welcomed into a great team. Taking over the previous Intern, I was slightly conscious as to how quickly I would be accepted. However from day one I was made to feel like "part of the family", taking part in group activities and meetings. On my first day we went to lunch as a team and so instantly I felt at home.

My manager would always ensure I was given a sufficient workload. I was always given a time frame and specific targets to meet which helped me to organise my work. If I was ever in a situation where I needed help, my manager or fellow team members would always have time to help with the situation.

At times at the beginning, my work load would tend to involve me asking for more work. However once I had settled in fully and gained a wider knowledge of all the systems I needed to fulfill my work, I had the perfect balance between being too busy and being over worked.

I think being an Intern requires you to at times take a step back and learn from others before you are given major responsibility. However I also felt that the work I was given, were always tasks that were essential to the Business. At times, some of the reports I would formulate, my manager would use in presentations. Overall I would say that The Body Shop give their Intern workers a great opportunity to showcase their talents.

The Body Shop have given me a great platform in which to really kick start my career. Simple skills such as communication, leadership and organisation have all been thoroughly increased due to the change in lifestyle. The training particularly in regards to a computer will hold me in great stead for the final year of my degree.

The atmosphere could best be described as "Professional, but fun". There is a nice relaxed atmosphere in the office which allows all the workers to achieve their targets or complete their workload at a highly motivated level.

The placement was very well set up. There was a lot of communication between my University and the company prior to me starting. Each Intern is assigned an HR manager who helps with any queries or problems. I was very fortunate to have an HR manager who was able to help out with issues such as pay and holiday!

The company is very much behind the Internship programme and so I would say that they invest a lot in ensuring you are a success for them. However I'd also say that they work hard to ensure that they develop you as a person and make sure you are a much more confident character than when you first start.

Although unable to offer you a guarantee about future employment, it is to my understanding that they consider Internships as the first step to full-time employment.

The social scene wasn't particularly strong among the placement students in particular. However the placement students would be regularly invited to any social events involving a wider selection of employers.

I lived further afield than the local area, as I chose to live in Brighton. This is approximately 40 mins drive away from work, but has an exceptional nightlife, mainly due to the amount of students in the area. I would definitely recommend any future placement students that they live in the Brighton area and commute. This does however work out more expensive, in terms of both rent and travel costs.

As mentioned above living further afield in the Brighton area ensured I was still able to enjoy a great social scene. In the areas surrounding the workplace, the nightlife is quite poor in comparison.

Working for The Body Shop allows you a discount at the local gym. They also regularly advertise other sporting clubs at the workplace. Being a highly ethical company, they encourage you to undertake volunteer work.