Intern Review

I enjoyed my placement immensely. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in Goodwood, West Sussex is a very nice plant in a stunning setting. The plant enjoys a lot of natural light, which is not always the case in the automotive industry. The workplace is modern and constantly evolving. The nature of my work ensured that working there never felt like a routine. Going to work was a real pleasure.

I had a good working relationship with people from my team, as well as outside of my department. People in Rolls-Royce Motor Cars are generally friendly and welcoming people. Despite being a foreigner I felt like I was a genuine member of the team and I had lots of fun with my colleagues. It seemed that my colleagues really appreciated my help and support as well.

My managers were always open with me and I did not feel excluded. I felt comfortable working with them on a daily basis and it seemed that they felt the same way. Over the course of my placement, I got involved in a number of projects. I was not given much guidance most of the time, so I had to rely on my own skills a lot. This was mainly due to my managers being very busy. Whenever I had a 1:1 meeting with my manager though, we usually managed to cover a lot of topics and it was the best time to get support on whatever I was working on.

I was very busy most of the time, being the only intern in my team. I was glad, however, as being busy is always better than being bored at work. As I was the only intern, I got a chance to get involved in everything myself, which was very exciting. Sometimes I would need to stay late to get more work done, but flexible working hours meant that I could balance overtime with an occasional early leave.

Apart from administration work, I was involved in engineering design, testing, as well as communication with suppliers on a daily basis. I was responsible for a number of projects personally and even on the projects where I was only supporting, I felt that my involvement was crucial. I was given a lot of responsibility during my first month straight away which helped me prepare myself for the increasing workload that would come over the year.

When I left Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, I definitely felt that I knew more about the automotive industry than when I started my placement. I learnt a lot about international standards and homologation requirements, proper engineering and engineering design practice, as well technical solutions frequently employed in the automotive industry. I am sure that the skills and knowledge that I gained over the course of my placement will come in handy in the future, no matter whether I continue to work in the automotive industry or otherwise.

The atmosphere in the office was generally very relaxed and people would always find time for an interesting conversation. The relationships between people were generally friendly and I never felt any tension. Even during the most hectic and difficult times, people would keep their calm and I never felt any hostility between them. Small gatherings in the chill out areas and conversations over a cup of tea were also very common.

I was informed wabout what my responsibilities would be immediately after the start of my placement. The range of responsibilities obviously broadened over the course of the year, as I became established in the department. My manager made sure that I get the most out of my placement and that I have fun in the process. I was also assigned my own project which helped me develop in more ways than one.

I received some basic employee training and had to participate in a few online compliance and brand awareness trainings. More importantly, however, I was fortunate enough to spend some time in test facilities, in-house technologies (woodshop, leathershop, paintshop), as well as other plants of the BMW Group under which Rolls-Royce Motor Cars falls. At the end of my placement, I felt like there was not much more I could have done than I had already.

The work for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars never feels like a routine and it would be interesting to come back in the future. The company is constantly hiring, so it should not be impossible to get employed again.

With around 40 or 50 interns in the company, there were occasional intern gatherings, as well as regular intern meetings held at work. Since the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars plant in Goodwood is fairly small (less than 2,000 people), it was easy to bump into other interns all the time. People would most frequently meet over lunch.

The south of England is very expensive in general and Chichester, being the closest larger city to the Goodwood plant, is one of the most expensive cities in England. Living costs are very high and most places come unfurnished. Going out in the evenings tends to be rather costly as well, which does not go well together with student salaries.

The nightlife was practically inexistent. Most places shut before midnight and there is no actual nightclub in the city of Chichester. This city is mostly dominated by pubs and restaurants and it is not very appealing to young people - it is far better suited to older generations.

Outside-of-work activities are very limited. Some people start their own initiatives, but the company does not actively encourage people to take part in extracurricular activities. Socialising with your team or department outside of work is also very rare and usually only happens before Christmas. It is a shame as social activities would definitely help team bonding.