Purchasing Assistant Review

Working at TUI gives you the opportunity to develop and immerse yourself in a fun, diverse organisation. Throughout the year there were opportunities to take part in projects, work with a variety of teams and get to know your colleagues on both a professional and personal level. The summer party was one of the highlights of the year, along with working abroad, discounted holidays and staff events.

TUI welcomes new employees from the very first day. The induction in to the business was fantastic and opportunities' throughout the year to experience the new Dreamliner, the hangar, work trips, lunch and learns and various departments ensures employees get the opportunity to learn all about the business in a friendly, fun environment.

A placement at TUI means taking on a real job. Placement students are given the opportunity to take on responsibility and real life challenges. Working in a new industry and in a new job is a massive taste of the real world compared to university. The placement team at TUI have a real understanding of these challenges and provide a great level of support.

Working in a seasonal business means there are times when you will be very busy and other times (usually during the winter season) where your workload will be lessened. The key to managing this is to be on top of your personal planning and time management. Project opportunities also give placements the opportunity to build on their current workload and to understand how to manage daily tasks with ad hoc projects. The placement team ensure projects are agreed with managers during quieter times which allows a steady workload.

I was given lots of responsibility during my placement. As a placement you are given a real job role and this comes with responsibility and accountability. As the year progressed your level of responsibility will increase as you are more competent within the role.

The industry knowledge, variety of personal skills, knowledge of the business, departments, management styles and commercial acumen I developed and was exposed to whilst as TUI will and has proven to be invaluable both at University and in my future career. In addition, I have made friends for life at TUI and believe any future placements will have a great year at TUI.

The office is open plan, bright and fun. Teams work well together and there is always something going on in the office whether this is monthly town halls, celebrities coming to visit the office, experience days, new product launches or new food experiences in the canteen.

The placement is well organised, the placement team are dedicated, inspirational and motivational and will guide you through the placement year encouraging you to take advantages of every opportunity on offer. The placement team understand the pressures of moving to a new location and starting a brand new job and are very helpful in assisting with any worries or queries.

The company ran lots of sessions on industry and company knowledge, as well as additional sessions for skills based needs. As part of the placement students you are given time to visit and spend the day with different departments which allows you to build a knowledge of the business as a whole. The placement team also organise different skills sessions, meetings with certain members of the teams as well as experience days such as going to visit the hangar.

As a placement student we were encouraged to apply for the graduate scheme or to speak to managers about future prospects within the company. Although it is not guaranteed that a student will be able to return on either the graduate scheme or to a certain position, the placement team go out of the way to make sure you are introduced to the right people and are given the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the team you would like to work with in the future.

At the start of the year we were invited to the summer party, this included dodgems, food from around the world, a free Magners tent, free Pimm's, a photo booth and a dance floor, it was less like a works party and more like a small festival! We were also invited to the Naughty Reunion in Skegness. There were also often meals out/nights out with the placement teams and colleagues in St Albans/Harpenden and the Christmas night out is sure to be a fun one! in addition taking advantage of the cheap holidays at TUI means you will probably end up on a holiday with your fellow placements; a great opportunity to catch some rays and get to know each other better.

Luton is relatively cheap to live in compared to St Albans/Harpenden/London, however, this comes with a lack of restaurants/nightlife. The majority of people who work for TUI live in St Albans but this is more like London prices, although the Slug and Lettuce is a cheap, frequented placement spot.

As the head office is based in Luton there isn't a good nightlife within a close distance of the office. However, St Albans and Harpenden are only a short train ride away and they boast lots of good restaurants and a nightlife scene. London is also not far from the office approx. 40 minutes away so this is a great alternative for big nights out.

As an employee at TUI you have the chance to go on an experience day with your team to work with a charity of your choice. Other opportunities will stem from projects or new experience days e.g. the Dreamliner.