Summer Intern in Buying (Procurement) Review

The placement was very valuable; I met lots of good contacts within Sainsbury's, worked within a great team and was given my own projects with real responsibility. No photocopying or coffee making whatsoever!

I was made to feel very welcome in the team and was treated with the same respect as all of my colleagues despite being an intern.

My Line Manager was fantastic; very supportive and provided constructive feedback and adive throughout my placement. We also met regularly several times a week to discuss my project and ensure progress.

Some manic periods and some quieter but it all balanced out and I very rarely found myself with nothing to do. I initially had 1 project and by the end had 3 so there was plenty of opportunity to take on more tasks if my workload was too light.

I managed my own suppliers and went to at least half of the supplier meetings and negotitations on my own, only being accompanied by my Line Manager for those which were more high profile so that he could continue working with them once I was finished.

For my degree I would say the skills will not have a huge impact, but beyond that and looking towards my future career they are invaluable; negotiation and stakeholder management were key and are transferable to any career path.

Great team atmosphere; very welcoming and lots of social events and fun activities happening throughout the entire 8 week period.

We were able to attend any of the workshops run throughout the company, and received constructive feedback at every stage of our projects. We were also paid a lot of attention by the graduate team who supported us throughout.

Grad scheme has changed which means there was no opportunity for any of us to achieve a direct job offer, but this was mainly due to the timing of the change. I feel very confident that I would be able to successfully apply to the graduate scheme next year and contacts made here will be invaluable during that process.

We all met for lunch every day and several of us lived together in accommodation which Sainsbury's organised for us. Lots of social events and nights out too!