Cruise Trading Assistant Review

The job was good because I was in a proper job role and given real responsibilty. Within my role I learnt a lot of valuable skills for example my presentation/computer skills have improved as a result of the placement. While I was always busy and the tasks were quite varied, I personally found it quite repetitive and I realised quite quickly that a role in trading isnt for me, however i'm sure that someone more suited to the role would enjoy it even more!

My team were very welcoming and really easy to get on with which helped make the job mroe enjoyable. I felt I was treated as a real employee not just a placement and my opinions are always valued.

My manager was always really supportive and willing to give his time to help me and answer any questions. We had one to one meetings every 2 weeks where we would have a catch up and talk about any issues.

I had daily tasks that had to be completed and also weekly tasks that were shared on a rota with the rest of my team. I was also expected to carry out other tasks independently such as competitor analysis. Given the nature of the job there would be some days where I would be really busy and others where I didnt have that much going on, this is where time management was really important and this is a skill I feel I really improved as a result of the placement.

I was given a lot of responsibilty because I was allowed to price the cruises independently on the system which meant the company were putting a lot of trust in me as I was able to decide how much customers would pay for their cruise. It was also my responsibility to make sure certain tasks were completed.

I think the skills that I have learnt will greatly help my studies in my final year, for example the presentation, computer and time management skills I have learnt will help me manage my uni work and perform well. I have also learnt skills that I can utilise in many other job roles.

There is a very laid back atmosphere, everyone in the office is friendly and approachable.

There were some teething problems as it is still a new scheme, however there have been significant improvements over the year and I think the placement scheme next year will be even better.

I think the company invested a lot in my development, there were many processes in place to ensure I was aware of where I was performing well and my areas for development Also there were many training opportunties organised by the company that we were encouraged to take part in.

If you wanted to come back once you graduate there are many opportunities in different areas of the business including the graduate scheme and many of the previous placement students have returned.

There were another 9 placement students on the scheme and we all became very close which was a really good part of the experience. There was also the opportunity to socialise with other people in the department through leaving dos/events etc which were enjoyable.

Luton is a very cheap area to live in and our rent was affordable, Luton town is really cheap however generally people from work liked to go out in other areas such as St Albans which were a bit more expensive.

There is nightlife in Luton and there are some good student nights in the week, although we tried not to go out on too many work nights! Luton is only a 30min train journey from London where we went out a few times although obviously thats a more expensive option.

In my team we always had team nights out which were always good fun and there are activities such as the commercial football team that people get involved in.