Management Trainee Intern/Management Assistant Review

There were times when the hours that we worked would annoy me slightly, as at Enterprise you finish work for the day when everything is done and often if things get busy it takes a lot longer! At the start of the process however you are warned several times that occasionally you will need to work long hours and you are paid for the overtime that you do. I really enjoyed my job as there was a lot of freedom and responsibility. I could plan my own day around customers and as long as everyone was satisfied and costs were kept down, the branch was allowed to go about its business without interruption.

I became very good friends with the team that I worked with at my branch because of the amount of time we spent together. There were weeks where I saw them more than my family! Enterprise is a very social place to work and there are always nights out, dinners and social events organised to attend so it is very easy to meet people. With the nature of the work, a lot of the day is spent driving around to other branches to collect/swap cars and through this you also get to become good friends with people in surrounding areas. After leaving my placement I am still in contact with my Assistant Manager and we still meet up!

Everyone in Enterprise starts out as a Management Trainee so there is no feeling of rank. Of course there are different job roles and everyone works hard to be promoted but it is far easier to talk to Area/City/General Managers about day to day tasks because they all started in the role that you do - because of this it was far easier to ask questions and get support from upper management. Enterprise employees work as a family and there never seemed to be an age/gender/position gap between people. It was a great environment to work in!!

I have given this an average score because along with the nature of the business there were never two days the same. Unfortunately people have accidents in their cars all day every day and therefore it is impossible to guess or plan exactly how the day will go. There were days when we could all sit and do admin and catch up on paperwork and phone calls and there were days when we were rushed off our feet. Some days it was too much but I think it balanced at the end of the week with the not-so-busy days!

At the start of my placement I followed what other people did, was given tasks by my managers and didn't have too much input. By the end of the 13 months I was there I was quite often running the day, planning which cars we needed and from where, and handling customer complaints and queries without any help at all. This all came from the training and support that I received from my managers and peers and I really really enjoyed my last few months as a Management Assistant after my promotion!!

Although the work was tough, long and sometimes complicated I don't think I would ever have learned the skills that I have this year in the way that I did. I think in a way being thrown in at the deep end to a busy and never slowing industry I cottoned on to the way it worked a lot quicker that a slow, steady introduction! I have learnt great customer service skills that will be an asset in any company, good management and leadership skills for the future and also my memory has improved so much!!

Of course there were days when we were tired and perhaps bored but it was such a fast-paced job that we never really had time to think about that! We all worked well together, were great friends and helped each other along the way.

I was always in contact with my recruiter and the firm new exactly when I started and when I leaving. They helped with all of my paperwork and it was a very easy process.

I went to a weeks training in Heathrow with a hotel, car and expenses paid. I also did a training day at Head Office every 3 months to top up my training. There were competitions, days out, social events and a lot of time and effort put into making sure that staff were trained and motivated as well as they could be.

I will be working with them recruiting graduates and interns this year at Uni while I complete my degree and will be resuming my placement job as Management Assistant after my graduation!

We were all introduced at the start of the year and had an email link to allow us to chat throughout the year and share our experiences. We also had an Intern Event in London to chat and socialise with the new interns that started this summer.

My rent was far higher here in the South than it was at Uni in the North but I knew this when I moved back here and just had to budget a little better than usual!!

I know the area well from when I was here at school and it was fairly good but this year I didn't really get a chance to test it out as I was always so tired from work!!

I personally didn't as I really valued my time at home with my family and friends when I wasn't at work but I know that a lot of employees had sports and social activities to do each week.