Internal Communications Assistant Review

My 12 months with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, part of the BMW Group, exceeded the high expectations I had prior to the start of my internship. The responsibility that was delegated to me offered the perfect environment for personal growth.

I feel as though I have become an integral part of the Rolls-Royce team, with many people said to be sad and worried by the fact that my time is almost up. My job role has allowed me the freedom to venture out into the business and make Company-wide connections.

My direct Line Manager and I were always very busy which often meant I would plough on ahead alone. We would often need to tackle numerous different projects simultaneously. However, when time was available, good management and guidance was offered. A quick catch up to ensure i'm on the correct path, rather than a thorough briefing.

I was constantly busy and never found myself in a situation where I was looking for extra work. This is suplemented by the freedom I had to instigate and run projects individually.

Very early on in my placement, once my Line Manager was happy with my standards/understanding of the Company's CI, I was expected to lead projects and personally take responsibility for weekly/monthly tasks including; Budget, Company Magazine, Business Updates, Talk to the CEO events, Weekly Team Briefs and employee communications amongst other things.

The real world experience at such an exclusive Company will truly prove invaluable. From the standard of my written work to the development of my professional character, my personal development from this Internship will lead the way for my future professional adventures.

As often is the case with a press office, there was a constant buzz with numerous exciting projects underway simultaneously. Although professional, it is a fairly relaxing environment in which colleagues are approachable most of the time.

Starting with a 1 week handover I received from the previous intern, to the tour of The Home of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the welcome was fantastic. It was inspiring to realise how impressive the Company I had joined was and to see a feint outline of the sort of opportunities i had available to me.

There were numerous compliance trainings and tests throughout the year which helped with my understanding around CI. Otherwise, it was predominantly on-the-job learning. Although not ideal in many professions, this style of learning worked very well for my position. I also received seperate training on the new intranet system which included basic HTML typing. On top of this, i created my own learning opportunities, including joining the testing and analysis team at the race track for a day to see how they test Rolls-Royce motor cars. The learning opportunities are there but they often require you to drive and organise them.

There are numerous cases across the Company of employees who have started as Interns and worked their way up. This is motivational and I would very much be interested in re-joining the Company following my graduation.

There was a good level of organisation between the Interns who set up a bi-weekly meeting. During these meetings we planned events, both social and work-related. Some of these events included trips to other BMW Group plants, including MINI. The social scene is very much down to you. If you are outgoing and interested in social activities, then you will manage to create a social scene that pleases you.

Chichester is relatively expensive compared to my university city. I paid roughly £500 a month rent which included bills. Socially, it was relatively expensive too but there are cheaper areas within reasonable travel distance.

There is very little night life available in Chichester. There are no clubs and only a handfull of pubs which stay open past 12. However, Brighton, Portsmouth and Bognor Regis all have clubs/better night life and are not too far away by train.

There were numerous opportunities for activities outside of work, largely due to the Company's close relationship with Goodwood Estate.