Cruise Planning Assistant Review

You are put in a real job role with real responsibilites and it was great to feel part of a team. The oportunities to travel are fantastic and their was a great working environment in the open plan office. To make the placement more enjoyable I think it would have been good to spend time in different departments throughout the placement year.

I was always welcomed to give input and new ideas on processes. For example when choosing itinerary names, making recomemndations to systems we use, etc.

I received regular 1 to 1 meetings with my manager to discuss any issues/progress. There were also monthly placement meetings set up with the placment manager to voice any issues. However, it did not feel as though I was on a placement "scheme" as such, more of a full-time job where you are treated the same as other employees - so perhaps more support could be given.

I was busy enough to always have a task to be getting on with but never too busy to feel as though I couldn't cope with the jon. There were periods when we were more busy e.g. through brochure production and season set up. And vice versa there were quiter times, when I had to work on more admin style tasks.

I was responsible for the set up of two of the Thomson ships (Spirit and Celebration) as well as 5 resorts for cruise and stay - Corfu, Turkey, Barbados, Cyprus and Sharm El Sheikh. I was also given the authority as the "Master List guardian" which meant I was in charge of keeping the website up to date with any shore excursion changes. The level of responsibility was initially overwhelming, but throughout the year it has really developed my personal skills and it is a real positive of the placement scheme - you're definately not at TUI to make tea and do photocopying!!

The skills I have developed such as time management, organisation, networking, etc will really help with my final year of study at university. However, I don't really feel as though I received any training that will influence me in the future.

There was always a happy vibe to the office. Being open plan, it really helped people engage with each other and the work ethic was really good. TUI believe in a work hard, play hard ethos so there were always social events to attend.

The placment scheme is a fantastic opportunity, however I think our year just didn't turn out as good as it could have done. There were a few issues when the placement students felt out of the loop with what was going on with the scheme - such as recruitment of new students, etc. The placement team are very good at taking feedback on board, so I think next years scheme will run better.

The initial induction was brilliant, and we attented training sessions, presentations, workshops, etc and it really started off well. Since the initial induction, it has been difficult to take time out of day-to-day jobs to attend training sessions. There weren't many training sessions that were set up for the placement students, and I think this is something which could be improved.

TUI is a great company to work for and they really value thier employees. I would love to be lucky enough to return to the company in a full time job or have a place on the graduate scheme. Having the experience of the placement year has really put me in good stead to continue my career at TUI.

We often go out for meals, nights out, etc and generally, we all got on well. On occasions, some of us went to London together.

The rent in Luton is really cheap and the bars/restaurants aren't bad value for money either.

The nightlife in Luton is ok, but London is really close so that makes up for it!

There were department nights out, rounders tournaments, quiz evenings, etc. There were always birthday nights out/leaving dos to attend.