Intern Review

My internship was one of the best decisions I could have made, I really wanted to challenge myself and see what I was capable of and this exceeded my expectations. Although the hours were long in places and there was a lot to learn, I felt like I was really developing my own skills and it has boosted my confidence. Although I was an intern, I felt like just as much a part of the team as everyone else and I liked that the company invested time in training me and trying to develop me by having regular feedback sessions.

I absolutely loved my team, as a female it was a bit different in places as my own team was mostly male. However, I don't feel that I was treated any differently and I felt like I was working for a strong, supportive team. Other people in the team regularly told me how good a job I was doing and thanked me for helping them with tasks; they often asked me to help them with things they found difficult themselves so although I was an intern, I knew my own strengths were acknowledged. I was eventually in a position where I was able to help develop other members of my team and this boosted my confidence as well as my leadership skills. We went out as a team every two weeks and on my birthday they surprised me with a birthday cake and a signed card; even the customers thought it was lovely.

The level of support and guidance from my manager and area manager was fantastic; as well as the support from my colleagues. The internship started with a week long training week, then I had a 30 day review, a 60 day review and an end-of-internship review. At each meeting we set goals and personal targets, discussed what I was enjoying or not enjoying and found ways to work around any issues. I felt able to speak to my manager at any point with any concerns I had and he always made time to speak to me if I needed him to. However, there was also plenty of opportunity for me to use my own initiative so that I could test my own ability levels.

Extremely busy; most of the time the branch was busy from opening all the way through to closing, with some weeks being slightly overwhelming. The hours were long but I was actually pleased to be contributing something and personally, I enjoyed having a more fast-paced working experience. Despite the busyness of my branch, I still felt like there was opportunities for me to get training on aspects of the job I found more challenging and I liked that my branch designated 15 minutes to the start of every day for a team meeting.

I felt that Enterprise really encouraged me to take ownership where I saw an opportunity to do so; whether that be with roles in the branch or with the customers. There was various captaincies in my branch to take responsibility of different aspects of the running of the branch and I was captain of the customer feedback and of the damage logs. I was given plenty of freedom to take control of those aspects and knew that they were my own responsibility which made me feel like I was contributing as much as every other member of the team.

Throughout my internship I've managed to boost my confidence which I think will help me in life in general. I've also had the chance to test my leadership skills and, considering feedback I've had from my team, I think I've developed this attribute so that in future I can become more assertive and able to lead a team whether that be in a work place or for a presentation group at University. My communication skills have become much stronger and I had the opportunity to give a presentation as part of my internship which has been very valuable experience for when I have to do more presentations as part of my degree.

My office was really fun and supportive. We regularly joked with each other, helped each other when we needed it and spent lots of time together outside of work. For my birthday they organised a birthday cake for me, they all signed a card and they joined me for my birthday night out. Twice a month we would go out together as a whole branch, it was more like having a family than a work team. On Friday's we brought in doughnut and cakes to celebrate the end of what was, quite often, a long week and on more stressful days we would order pizza to keep everyone's motivation going. Someone in our branch even organised a blood donation drive for our office in conjunction with other offices in the area.

I thought the internship was extremely well organised; the training week at the start was perfect, the hotel etc. were paid for and Colin who did the training was extremely helpful and supportive. There was plenty of opportunity for feedback and development and I liked that goals were tailored to my individual strengths and weaknesses.

I feel that the company invested a lot in my personal training and development; the reviews were regular and thorough, the feedback was always useful and we were all given a development folder that regular employees are given for their own progression within the company so that, should I wish to come back to remain with the company, I can have a head start. I didn't feel that I got less time and effort afforded to me because I was an intern, I actually found that people were more than willing to help me at every turn.

There is nothing about this company that puts me off, I've loved my internship and I will be returning to work with them part-time during my last year at University and have also taken on the Campus Brand Manager role for my University. The potential to be successful at Enterprise is certainly there and the company, its values and its people are very enticing.

I kept in touch with everyone from my training week and was paired with someone for my business improvement idea which was really helpful. Often people from other offices would wander in for a chat and share their experiences so it was nice to have those comparisons. I regularly went out with my own colleagues and every few months there is an area night out. If anyone was having a birthday or special occasion, everyone in the area would be invited so there was a lot of opportunity to meet new people. There was an intern training session half way through the internship which involved bowling and allowed all the interns across Scotland to get to know each other. One of the highlights was the intern summer bbq where we were put into groups and worked together to present our business improvement ideas.

My area is an expensive place to live and work but it is also where I go to University so although it is expensive, it didn't particularly impact my internship. My internship was paid, I hadn't known that when I initially applied, so that was a bonus for me.

The nightlife in my area is quite busy, there are plenty of students but I don't particularly enjoy the nightlife in my area as a personal choice. There are a lot of bars, pubs, clubs, restaurants etc. I don't often drink alcohol so only a small portion of this is very appealing to me.

There was a lot of opportunities to do things outside of work; the intern bbq was a lot of fun, as was bowling and the night outs that were arranged. I went along to Glasgow Pride for the weekend and helped at the Enterprise stall there which was enjoyable. I also got to go along to an elite day event for doing well in customer service.