Communications Lead Review

The entire placement has been an intensely positive and enjoyable experience. The work environment is welcoming and supportive, the culture is relaxed and flexible. The work I performed was for the most part very interesting and engaging, hands-on.

The team(s) I was working with were incredibly welcoming and supportive. Everybody takes a genuine interest in the work you do, and is more than happy to give their own thoughts. I really appreciated that the team made it apparent how much they valued the work I was doing.

My manager was fantastic. Though I was her first managed role, she seemed more than confident and capable in supporting me. We had regular one-to-one catch-ups to check up on progress and give feedback, and she was able to shift her management style and level of involvement to my needs at each stage of my project.

I was essentially in control of the volume of work that I had to undertake in order to manage my project successfully. As is inevitable, there were some days where I had less to do than others, and from time to time I could feel more under pressure, but I always felt that I was, for the most part, in control.

The aim of my particular placement was to diagnose a problem and design and implement my own solution. As there were no material objectives, I was given the responsibility to manage my project at a much higher level in addition to the day-to-day pieces that worked on.

My placement had little relevance to my degree course. Despite that, I did feel that I was constantly learning new things discovering new lessons, and I have no doubt that outside of the lecture hall I will be using the skills I've learned and the experiences I've had in my longer career and wider life.

Fantastic working environment. The entire building is open plan, and this made it easy to approach people and bounce ideas off of them, ask their advice, or just have a chat. Everybody is very driven and focussed on their work, yet never averse to having a laugh or just an informal catch-up.

My overall time was well structured by the placement. We were given some key milestones (training dates, presentation dates) at the very beginning and had regular check-ins with the managers of the internship scheme.

I was amazed by how much the organisation invested in me, being an intern for only twelve weeks. In that time, so much is devoted to each intern's personal development and growth. You are always encouraged to identify your needs or weaker skills for the express purpose of targeting and improving them.

The internship is followed by a two-and-a-half year graduate Commercial Management Trainee scheme. Whilst I never signed up to my placement viewing it as a stepping stone to a grad placement, I was certainly intrigued and impressed by everything I heard and learned about the scheme. Whilst I may have not decided that it was right for me, I am sure that it is a fantastic programme.

The interns were all a very cohesive group. We ate lunch together most days. The graduate trainees had a more organised social scene to which we were always invited and welcome. Several memorable nights out were had. It seems like such a small thing, but really does make a massive difference to the experience whilst on the placement.

The placement is in Stockley Park, Hayes & Harlington. Cheap enough area but not much to see.

The placement is in Stockley Park, Hayes & Harlington. Cheap enough area but not much to see. Many employees based at Stockley live further into London, in Ealing, Chiswick, Hanwell and so on where there is much more to do. Our nights out were usually in and around Fulham area.

I'm led to believe that there are a couple of social sports clubs, but nothing else beyond informal get-togethers. A charity ball was a wonderful exception.