Commercial Industrial Placement Student Review

I have really enjoyed my time at PSA Peugeot Citroen. It has been a great insight into working for a global company and into the automotive industry.

I have worked with some lovely people. All of my Line Managers have been supportive.

All of my Line Managers have been supportive. Some have left me on my own more than others, but this has developed my ability to take initiative.

This has varied depending on the department. I tended to be less busy in my position in the Recalls department, but had several weekly reports to create. In Marketing I have had spells of being very busy.

I have been given a lot of responsibility, In both roles, I have created documents to be sent out to the entire dealer network.

I think that the placement has really broaded my knowledge of what roles are available within a large company and how the decisions are made within it. I have developed my understanding of Marketing and this has helped me to decide on a future career path.

In general the atmosphere has been positive, despite me joining at a time of organisational change. In Marketing, I have found it to be very positive and everyone seems to get on well with each other.In Recalls there were lots of jokes, but I felt that sometimes these were at the expense of others.

I think that the placement has been well organised. We have been given two different six month placements, which I feel is a great opportunity to experience different roles. Sometimes I have felt that we could do with more events or team building sessions being organised centrally for placement students. Also it would've been nice to get more information about what role we would be doing and guidance on where to live in Coventry, before joining the company.

PSA organised three sessions with an external agency to train us in team work, career development etc. I felt these were a nice way to work with the other IPs. We also had an induction week to learn about project management. There was also some online modules to learn about Excel, languages... I think it would've been beneficial to receive training on more daily tasks, such as Excel, raising budget items and a more in depth introduction to the company. I think that receiving this sort of training was entirely down to the department you were placed in, where sometimes people were a bit too busy to provide this. Also I think it is a shame that there are no language lessons or subsidy for language classes provided by the company. This was a reason for me joining the PSA, so I felt disappointed by this. However, I joined a class at Warwick to continue learning French.

A good thing about the placement year at PSA is that it is seen as an interview for the Graduate scheme. If you impress your managers, it is likely that you will be offered the chance to join the graduate scheme. Many of the graduates at the company have now been able to find permanent jobs.

The social aspect of this placement has been great. We have been invited to and have organised numerous nights out and meals with IPs, business apprentices, graduates and our French counterparts. Also, having lived in a house with 6 other placement students, we have often visited local attractions on weekends- e.g. Birmingham Christmas Markets, Leamington Vintage events...

Coventry offers good value for money, both with rent and daily costs.

In Coventry there are three main clubs and a few bars, all of which tend to be good fun and are busy with Warwick and Coventry University students. Further afield, Leamington offers a choice of quirky bars and clubs and Birmingham has a great nightlife. There are also things like cinemas, bowling, ice hockey...

Within the company, there are few sports teams or other groups. The guys did join the work football team. Locally, there are lots of opportunities, such as gyms, Warwick University classes (I did French), yoga and so on.