Marketing Intern Review

Overall I had a really good time. I was part of a friendly and welcoming team and given a high level of responsibility. I could work independently without supervision, but also had someone to talk to when necessary. I feel that most of the tasks I was given were meaningful and had an impact for the company. I have seen and learnt a lot about Marketing. Therefore the experience has helped me in making an informed career choice.

Generally I was made feel very welcomed by my team. I was able to attend a team building day and also was invited to many social events after work. However, I sometimes felt a bit isolated as I couldn't sit directly with my team. Also at times it didn't seem that my opinion or input was valued and considered as much as I would have liked that to be the case. However that obviously differed from person to person and overall my input was definitely valued highly.

There was a good balance between being able to work independently and having someone to approach when I struggled. I was given regular feedback on my progress and development. Feedback was given in a constructive way, i.e. there was positive and constructive feedback but it was articulated in a way that allowed me to reflect, and (where required) act on it. Apart from a line manager Allianz also has a graduate buddy scheme, which is quite nice in the sense that you get to have another contact with actual experience on the graduate scheme.

I was fairly busy on a day to day basis, however this differed over the course of the 9 weeks. Due to the weekly catch-ups my manager was aware of the progress I made. I did not struggle with the amount work provided, however it was enough to keep me pretty busy for the duration of my internship. Working hours are 9-5 without much flexibility around them unfortunately.

I was given a good level of responsibility and was able to work together with external stakeholders, which was a valuable experience. I was given the chance to manage these projects solely by myself (or with a colleague from another department). This was a very exciting, but also challenging experience from which I have grown a lot. Guidance and assistance were nevertheless available pretty much at all times.

The placement has provided me with an extensive overview of Marketing and has strongly helped me with making informed plans for the future and for my career. I have also developed a fair range of transferable skills, which should be a great asset for future job applications. The feedback provided has shown me my strengths and development areas, which will also help me in future roles. Unfortunately Allianz doesn't provide a solely Sales/Marketing graduate scheme that is not insurance specific.

There was a positive and friendly atmosphere in the office. There was always someone joking, making sure people have a good time.

There were three events organised by the HR Graduate Team throughout the internship, including an induction day, a careers fair in week 6 and a closing presentation and social day during the final week. To my mind it would have been better to have the careers fair at an earlier stage, as it allows people to have a better overview of the company at an earlier point.

People in my department were definitely were supportive when it came to finding tasks that accommodate my personal interest, as well as were happy for me to spend a day in another department that I expressed an interest in. There weren't many other training and development opportunities, however there's a lot of development support for people on the graduate scheme.

People on the internship can directly apply for a place on a graduate scheme and are potentially given a place without further interviews/assessments.

In the Guildford headoffice there is a good number of interns, graduates and other young staff, so despite the city not having loads on offer there was a good social scene. The situation in other smaller offices is probably not as good though unfortunately.

South-East close to London, so very expensive.

Guildford has a few clubs, which however are pretty expensive and not that appealing.

People from my department regularly went out for drinks after work. Furthermore there is a range of sports teams. I didn't get involved with that, so not sure about the details.