HR Systems Project Coordinator Review

The placement was full of stress, mainly because of a combination of short timescale, hefty projects and numerous incidental graduate events cluttering up the calendar. I would definitely not describe it as enjoyable, In particular, I had to attend two team building days, building teams with people I will most likely never work with again, participating in pointless and embarrassing activities when I would rather have been getting on with work. I realise that most interns will have preferred it this way, and probably had a great time, but I only went for this internship for the work experience and quite often found that the actual work was sidelined.

My colleagues were warm, friendly and supportive and I could not have asked for better!

My manager was fantastic; always willing to help out and lend advice. Best of all, he secured me a place on a four day business trip to Krakow! Absolutely fantastic support.

This varied; I usually had a heavy workload with a lot to get done, but waiting for colleagues to respond with the right information so I could proceed could result in frustrating delays.

I was given two independent projects and defined my own deliverables, tasks and deadlines. I was held accountable for everything I did and was expected to do and so was certainly made fully responsible for the outcomes of my placement.

I did plenty of research and data analysis, which will help me in my chosen career of market research/academia; I also learned plenty about how a large company works (or doesn't) and gained limited experience of meetings, presentations, report writing, inbox management and other useful generic activities.

Formal, quiet and productive; not a place where people who prefer noise and banter would feel at home. But it suited me just fine.

Very well organised; the graduate team arranged free accommodation at a nearby university, schedules several events and were successful in giving us a structured space of time in which to work.

I was invested in hugely, sometimes against my will! I took part in two learning visits- one lasting two days in Stockport and one lasting four days in Krakow, Poland. I attended two team building days and a day-long conference-style meeting at a luxury hotel nearby. There were several training sessions for Excel skills, presentation skills and the Myers-Briggs test among other things; I couldn't do any of them due to my calendar being too full but it was good to know they were there. We were also put into teams and given a chance to fundraise and volunteer for charity. So there was plenty of development to be had!

Centrica will be making a lot of people redundant in the next few years to save money; this will probably limit the opportunities available. I wouldn't work for the company again; I didn't like how complicated it was, how long it took to get things done within the company, let alone reaching outside it, and how many forced social events graduates take part in. It's a company that isn't content with taking your work, but wants to take up your leisure time and personal life as well. If your work is part of your life, but not the overwhelmingly dominant force, this company is not for you.

Everyone seemed to be acting like they were still at uni; if you enjoy spending huge amounts of time with a group of people you did not choose to be friends with, then you will love this placement. However, if you are more introverted and only get on with certain types of people, you will be disappointed,

The cost of living in Windsor is dreadful. No two ways about it. It's mitigated by the free accommodation, but it's still very expensive.

I have no interest in nightlife, so no idea.

There were plenty of opportunities for out-of-work activities; some served to distract from in-work activities. But there was certainly plenty to do outside of work.