Consulting Sales Associate Review

My placement experience was very enjoyable. I felt challenged from day one, but never too far out of my comfort zone. This allowed me to progress at a fast pace during my 13 months at SAP which directly affected how much I enjoyed working here. There is a great intern community, and all other colleagues included me, so this was also a great added benefit.

My team was very close knit, working closely to meet targets and hitting them. Morale was high for the entirety of the year. I felt valued by my team as they did not treat me like an intern. But a fully fledged member of the team. This is the greatest compliment I could give to the team. Throughout the entire organisation is the same which meant I had a great year.

My manager couldn't have been more supportive. His constant guidance was extremely reassuring. We had monthly catch ups and evaluated my targets and goals. He assisted with personal goals as well as work-related goals. Overall he believed strongly like many other managers in the intern programme which allows you to get the most out of it.

During the start of my placement 'the learning period' I was extremely busy taking everything in and learning as much as possible. This kept me busy, during the year it was the same. You are as busy as you want to be, with the ability to take on as much work as you want. Or turn down work if you have too much on. During quarter ends it can be tiresome, but this is good experience.

Responsibility was one of the greatest benefits of the internship. I worked in a team, as a member of the team, not just an intern. I was allowed to take responsibility for all my deals and work. I could take on what I wanted and also take a backwards step if I wanted to learn. It was the ideal working scenario for an intern who wants to progress quickly.

The skills is has given me for life is brilliant. However, it was not related to my degree programme. As I do not study Sales at university, however for a sales career I could not have been better placed, being exposed to real sales processes and having real responsibility. It has taught me some real basics of business however so this will affect my final year studies.

Atmosphere was ever changing. The area I sat in was a hot desk area so I had a mixture of different people all year round which was an added bonus. Different floors of the building are quieter than others and it was easy to find a quiet place to work if need be, or alternatively sit up stairs on the sales floor for a bit more excitement.

The placement programme at SAP is brilliant, its organised well from week 1 right to the end, with full support of the intern community and the rest of SAP. One added bonus is that the interns drive the recruitment process for the next years interns which is a great thing to get involved with. Having existed for many years now it is improving every year.

You can get unlimited training by SAP if you can reason why it will benefit your work. You have to do the search yourself but you are supported in the training you want to achieve. Personally I had various training schemes which will be crucial in my development over the next few years of my professional life when I apply for roles after graduation.

There is good potential to return if you put the work in during the year here. Particularly in Sales as they have a grad scheme. It is a great company with a great office atmosphere. It would be an exciting place to return too into a job that is realistic and similar to the intern role. It would be very appealing to return.

With there being 30-45 interns every year there is opportunity to live with other students and interns, with the added potential for good socials with the intern communities. Furthermore, many teams have interdepartmental social events which is a great way of meeting colleagues across the business in the UK and further afield.

If you want to save money you can live close to the office and it is affordable. The closer to central London you go the more expensive it is. Socialising is similar, you get what you pay for. However I pay less than half of my pay on rent so it is manageable. Free lunch is provided at work, which saves a lot of money over the placement year.

Nightlife near the office is virtually non-existent. However there are many places within 20 minutes by train and car that are brilliant. Secondly there is opportunity to work out of the office in central London which allows you to enjoy central London any chance you can get. Evenings and weekends are manageable and its a great area of London to live and work in that is affordable.

With a commute to work and working long days it is quite hard to maintain a social life on weeknights as it was often tiring. Nonetheless, I have maintained playing football for the duration of the year, with all my colleagues on a Wednesday night and with a local team on the weekend. It is up to you how many activities you want to pursue outside of work.