Customer Offer Development Assistant Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Boots. Boots takes work placements very seriously, and I have really been able to develop my skills while working in a professional environment. Being a part of such a big organisation has really helped me understand the wider industry, and helped me understand more about myself and what I enjoy doing. However, I do feel I would have enjoyed my placement more if I had taken more of the opportunities presented to me.

As part of a very small team I felt valued my colleagues. The level of responsibility I undertook depended on me, and how much I put myself out there. This varied between teams, and I found colleagues external to my team valued me very highly. There were words of recognition from managers and more senior managers.

My line manger changed half way through my placement, which allowed me to build good relationships with both of them. They were very supportive in everything I did; both in work and in any personal issues I was having. I found that as I built up trust with my managers I needed less guidance and they were willing to let me get on with work.

Initially I was given simple tasks to do, and as I learned more I was able to take on more responsibility which obviously kept me busier. During my time in-role the responsibilities of our team altered and I was able to take on more work. Essentially, I was as busy as I wanted to me, as I could take on and delegate work to balance my workload.

There was an expectation of placement students to take on additional responsibilities outside of our daily roles. I was able to lead projects within my team, manage business as usual work while getting heavily involved in CSR and other areas across the business. As I worked in a small team I was able to take ownership of several areas of our work.

The skills I have developed aren’t the technical ones I will use in my pharmacology degree, but general skills I can use in any career I chose. I’ve learned how to work in a professional environment, how to manage time, tasks and relationships. I thought university was a good welcome into the “real world” until I started this placement and was left in shock. I didn’t realise how sheltered you are at university, and this placement has been pricless in teaching me about myself – how I work, what I enjoy, strengths, weakness and so on.

The atmosphere was genuinely wonderful. My team worked closely together and was very supportive; we would take team lunches and days out and I know this is experienced across the business. The office in Boots is open plan and very friendly so it’s very easy to go and have a conversation with someone.

The work placement was very well organised. Each student was placed in a separate team, but throughout the year there was an on-going ‘development program’ where we would regroup and work together to focus on our development. We were kept well informed and knew who to approach for different issues.

As a work experience student I was given the same opportunities as a permanent employee. If it was suitable, I had the opportunity to go on training courses and I had full access to the online portals and eLearning. There was a range of training courses run regularly that you could book onto as you wanted.

Boots places emphasis on work placement students and encourages us to develop the behaviours to be considered for the graduate scheme. The graduate scheme is designed to develop the skills and behaviours suitable to become ‘future leaders’. If you have interest in business, pharmacy or healthcare then the future prospects are very appealing.

All of us ‘Year in Industry’ students got along very well. We regularly met up outside of work and acted as a support network for each other. We had lunch daily and often arranged social events and worked together on projects within work hours. Eg, fundraising for Children in Need.

Nottingham is a gorgeous city to live in and I thoroughly loved it. It was very fairly priced – nowhere near the cost of London! Rent in the centre of town was slightly pricy, but when split between various students it was a lot more reasonable. There are a lot of areas outside the centre of town that are a lot cheaper, and very accessible by public transport.

I personally am not a huge fan of nightlife, but even I could tell it was good. When living in the centre of town there are lots of bars and clubs literally within a ten minute walk. It wasn’t as cheap as some student towns, but I always felt safe when walking around alone at night through town, despite Nottingham’s reputation.

Events organised through Boots and outside of work varied. I often had team days as charity events I could be involved in, as well as activities with the other placement students. However this will vary between teams. There was a lot of opportunity to get involved in events such as Red Nose Day and Children in Need. Outside of Boots I got involved in local part-time courses (baking!) and events at the universities.