Management Trainee Review

I really enjoyed this year at ERAC. There were some challenges but I received support consistently and I was never given more than I could handle. I've learnt a lot about myself and met some great people in the process. I've developed a lot of transferable skills for university and the future. Such a good experience

I got on so well with the people I worked with inside and outside the office. They were all so welcoming and supportive throughout the year

I received a lot of support and guidance from everyone in my first 6 months and after that I was always able to ask management for feedback and help. You're also allocated a mentor for regular coffee dates/chats which is helpful

Overall, management did their best to make sure that everything ran fluently through the day but there were days when things were very hectic but never overwhelming

ERAC were fantastic at gauging how much responsibility you could handle and challenged you without overwhelming you. I personally didn't enjoy running the show too much so I took on less responsibility than others whereas I had colleagues taking on management positions within 4-6 months!! It's really up to you how much responsibility you want

Without a doubt my year at ERAC has given me transferrable skills for whatever career I go into and even in the short term I have learnt so much that will help me in my final year of uni

Because I clicked with the people I was working with 90% of the time there was a fun atmosphere which normally made the customers more positive as well. They were the odd few days when either a colleague was down or we had a troublesome customer which, being a small office, affected the rest of the branch but these days were quite rare

We had a training manual which set targets for throughout the year so you could set personal goals and know if you were on track. Because of this it was really easy to be focused and organised, both for myself and my various managers.

With the multiple training sessions and the regular personal development meetings I never felt forgotten about and I was constantly being nurtured and challenged.

I've been offered part time work while in my final year and also a campus brand ambassador role. I've discussed with the HR team about how I could possibly go into the accounts team after graduation and they've provided me with lots of information and support if I decide that's what I want to do next year

We had company organised events: winter ball, area/branch nights out, branch dinners for meeting targets. But even within the granch we organised social events such as ooing out for a drink after a day of work, girls night out, or even just ordering pizza.

I was really fortunate that my place of work was five minutes from my parents house so I moved home for the year. This obviously meant it was very cheap to live and Southampton is reasonably priced for going out in anyway

I already knew the area having lived there before university so I was obviously very used to the nightlife and happy with it.

Outside of the social aspect there were many chances to get involved in charity events, environmental programs, gay pride, outreach to the community etc.