Finance Placement Review

Having undertaken a work placement at Vauxhall has been extremely valuable, Although I may not have enjoyed some of the work tasks at times, I feel that this year has given me great expereince and I have been able to professionally develop throughout. My job role has not exposed me to too many aspects of the business as a whole; however I feel it will benefit my university studies.

It took me some time to realise how important the work I do is for others, but once you understand the purpose of your work, you realise you have a great level of responsility. I do not feel that the fact I am an undergaduate has stopped people from apporaching me to do jobs for them.

I know that if I need them, my manager is there to answer questions. We have a set appraisal scheme, but I feel I could have had some more gudiance on how this process works. A developed mentor scheme is also in place, which I think is a good touch.

With my job role, it is quite cyclical - the beginning of the month brings a lot of work, and then it gradually dies down. There is also extra work brought in at the beginning of each quarter. When I have found myself to have less work, I have been able to get more from those around me. As we all really work to the same pace, people understand that this time of the month is where I am less likely to have work; however it does seem that sometimes everyone wants a piece of work in for the same time! However, the variety of work isn't too great.

Working here does not feel like a typical intern role - you aren't going round making coffee for anyone, or anything like that! I have real responsibilites, and I feel that if I was absent, then someone else would need to be there to do my job.

I feel like I have developed my soft skills a lot - communication, confidence, time management and negotiation, For my job role, I have also become particlaurly familiar with Excel, which I fell can be transferable to a graduate job. I have also gained industry experience in the particular sector of the business I deal with.

The department is very friendly and welcomes all undergraduates in. The office layout has been a downside for me, as I do feel quite segregated from others in my department; however this is nothing I can directly change. The fact we have so many undergrads here also helps, as you do not feel like the only person around you in your age range.

The whole process is well organised. The open days had sufficient information, and helped with housing support. The handover period for finance is longer than standard, to cover important aspects like month end, which I felt benefited me a lot. As it is such a developed scheme, I feel this is a great benefit, as the undergad scheme is well established.

We get the chance to have Excel, Powerpoint, advanced Excel and safe driver training. However, a lot of development has come from on-the-job training, and simply fulfilling my day-to-day activites.

There are limited opportunites for undergrads to come back as graduates; however it is good to make an impression, for example with references for future jobs.

As there are so many undergrads working here at Vauxhall, there is a big social scene. Events are organised for the handover period, for you to get to know each other, and also of a wide variety, In our department, we have had department nights out, as well as seasonal events, like Christmas meals.

I personally pay £275 a month for my room. This is very cheap compared to what I have paid at university. I live in a house with 5 other undergrads, and have had a great experience. There is always someone around to do something with, and if you have friends at work in different houses, this helps socialising even more. There was a lot of housing support provided, which made me have confidence in choosing a house to live in.

Luton doesn't offer too much in terms of nightlife, however there are good transport links to other places such as Harpenden, St Albans and London. These all have bars, and a few clubs, whichever you fancy.

Schemes like EXCITE run quizes, and help to increase colleague involvement. I have taken part in CSR days, and am cycling from London to Brighton in a charity cycle.