Business Operations Analyst Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the placement year at SAP as I was given real responsibilities by my department. I did not feel that there was a separation in work load between full time employees and interns, as we were trusted with business critical task. The company is currently undergoing a large amount of change, therefore it was great to be part of the business at this time.

This really depends on who you are working with. Overall, I definitely felt valued by colleagues and most were very appreciative and understanding of interns capabilities. However, there will always ben times during any internship that certain people will try to take advantage! This year has taught me that it is okay to say no to tasks that do not fall within your remit.

When I first began my placement at SAP, I felt as though I had been thrown in the deep end. However, looking back, this was the best thing for me! It meant I worked out ways of doing things for myself, and had the chance to learn as I went along. My manager was always there to support when I had a question, but I found learning as I went along very affective for me.

This really came in waves due to the nature of a sales organisation. At the end of the quarter everyone's workload seems to pick up, however at other times there were points where I didn't have as much work. However this was only a good thing as it meant I had time to peruse other opportunities such as getting involved in other departments or projects.

Interns are treated as a permanent member of the team. Within the first few months of joining the company, I was put in charge of our customer satisfaction survey which was a big responsibility, with a lot of pressure to get a good result.

First and foremost, this year has enabled me to look at things from a different perspective. I believe I will be able to analyse problems more logically when I go back to university, and I have developed a new attitude to work. I have unlimited examples of where I have had to use communication, work in teams and overcome problems that I will be able to use in interviews for jobs in the future.

The atmosphere in the Office as a whole was good as there are a reasonably large number of interns. However, I feel like this decreased slightly towards the end of the year as there were a lot of changes, especially in our department with people leaving. I am sure the office will be back to the previous buzzing atmosphere when new hires are made!

The internship is well organised and interns are given a high level of responsibility. This is not only beneficial to the company but also for personal development as it means we have been able to get involved in a large range of activities.

There is unlimited amounts of online training available, and even some courses that can be attended by all employees. The amount of work and responsibility given to interns also means that you can develop skills every day. We also had regular one to ones with managers to see how we were getting on, and to discuss opportunities outside our day to day role.

For me personally I would not come back to SAP as I want to peruse a career in the FMCG market rather than technology. However, there are ways back in to SAP for those who are interested, there is just no dedicated 'Graduate Scheme' in place currently.

Yes. Having 30 Interns has meant that there is always someone available to socialise with. Everyone is very friendly and we all get along well so that has been a highlight of the year. Its great to work and socialise with people from different universities and courses too, as most of us are used to spending time with groups of people from our course.

The cost of living was around £500 for us. This is slightly cheaper than being in central London, but more than other areas. However, we all managed to get by with plenty of socialising too! The prices of food and drinks are more in London and the surrounding areas, but it was worth it for me as I love the city!

In the area we worked specifically there was not a lot to do.. There is a couple of pubs near by but these are not the nicest! Most of the time we would go to nearby Richmond if we wanted after work drinks, if not, then it would be into central London - where there is always unlimited things to do!

There are netball and football clubs running weekly in terms of sporting events, and some of the interns have started playing different sports together after work such a squash and tennis. There is the opportunity to attend events such as conferences and dinners if you are willing to get involved with departments outside your own. As with anything, additional opportunities are what you make of them, so if you see something you want to get involved in - go after it!