Commercial Summer Intern for Lancome Review

I've absolutely loved my internship at L'Oreal - you're given a lot of responsibility and the chance to make a real difference to the business and everyone is very willing to help you learn. However, it is very fast paced and it's a steep learning curve when you first join.

I think in any job you're going to encounter some people who you don't get on with as well as others so I wouldn't say I felt valued by everyone, but the majority of people I worked with, and all of those I worked with closely, did make me feel very valued.

I was given a lot of individual responsibility and was expected to be relatively independent, but I was given a lot of support by my manager as well. Everyone is very happy to help as most of them came from an internship or grad scheme here so they understand how much there is to learn in a short amount of time.

Some days were busier than others but there was always work to do - I just asked what I could help with when things were a bit quiet and someone would always find me a job so it's pretty hard to get bored.

I was given a lot of responsibility during my 10 week placement. I had projects that I had to deliver by set deadlines that I was entirely responsible for but I also had to do the less fun jobs that managers are too busy to do on a day to day basis.

I learnt so much every day of my internship - I would definitely say that the skills I have developed will help me going into my final year of uni, particularly in terms of managing my priorities and using Excel. I'm also hoping to be accepted onto the grad scheme , so I'm sure the specialist knowledge I have acquired would help me if I was to succeed.

The office is really open plan and friendly - it's a slightly less corporate environment than most big companies which was something I really enjoyed. I would say the environment is incredibly cohesive as everyone works very closely with their team members and all the teams work together well.

The only negative I would have about my internship has been the organisation during my first few days. Although my manager had requested a computer for me weeks beforehand, I had nothing when I arrived and it took a few days for me to be given a temporary laptop - I never actually got a computer! The culture at L'Oreal is very computer based so I was pretty lost for the first week.

We were given a few learning sessions over lunch throughout the summer which gave us the opportunity to ask questions of people in different roles across the business and there was a lot of opportunity to engage in elearning also.

I would love to be accepted onto the graduate scheme at L'Oreal - the starting salary is good and it involves a lot of variety which I think is lacking in other grad schemes that I've looked at. Seeing what other people higher up in the company do day to day has made me want to work here long term. However, once the grad scheme is over, there is no guarantee of a permanent job.

All of the interns have been really friendly with each other and there have been a few socials. However, because I commuted in everyday I was unable to attend a lot of the nights out. I would definitely say move close by if you can.

It's London so it's expected that everything is very expensive - especially rent and alcohol. Although I didn't live in London for my internship, everyone I know who did found it really expensive, particularly as the internship salary is fairly low.

It's London so there's something for everyone at night.

I played netball with a few of the other L'Oreal ladies in a Tuesday night league playing against other companies which was really fun and a great way to meet new people. I know there was also a football team but other than that I think options are relatively limited.