Vendor Analyst Review

I enjoyed being able to see how a business operates, particularly the use of theory learnt in lectures being applied to real life situations.

I was given a position of responsibility which allowed me to work with members of staff that were experienced in their roles. My colleagues were friendly and approachable.

Although I was supported throughout my placement year, one to one contact with my manager was limited due to the demands of the business taking higher importance.

The role started slowly and was quiet but as I gained more experience I was introduced to new tasks which meant after the first few months I had sufficient work to be getting on with. When I did have spare time my manager was happy to find something for me to do, as well as letting me get on with university work.

I felt I had a high level of responsibility in comparison to some of the other students on placement as I believe my actions directly impacted the performance of the business.

I learnt about the challenge of working with different people, developing good skills such as time management and public speaking which I hope will improve my final year studies and career prospects.

Although I was much younger than most of the office, I felt a part of a team. Getting involved in the site football team, nights out and the Christmas party allowed me to get to know the people in my workplace and develop good relationships which make working life much easier.

Although management were approachable, I think it would have been useful to set objectives for the year at the start of my placement, to give me targets to aim for and a better structure.

The training during my placement allowed me to reach the same level of knowledge as members of the office. I was trained in SAP from the start and as I was assigned new tasks my competency in excel improved significantly.

Although it was a great company to work for, I am unsure about my future career. My placement year was a positive experience so I would not be put off returning if the job was right.

There were about 15 placement students on site and we were able to arrange nights out, trips to Thorpe Park and Wembley. There was usually someone around on the weekend looking for something to do!

The cost of living was relatively low compared to places nearby and not much more than university living. Socialising could be expensive - especially in Brighton.

The town I worked in didn't have a great night life but Brighton was buzzing and only a 25 minute train journey.

Outside of work I played football with colleagues on a Thursday night as well as training and playing for the site in a Saturday league. Other than that activities were limited.