Brand Activation Intern Review

I enjoyed my internship a lot; I was offered a lot of responsibility and development opportunities throughout my year and learnt valuable skills that I will be able to use throughout my final year and beyond.

I felt valued and like part of the team after the first few months. It took a while to settle in and other colleagues beyond the immediate team I worked in sometimes treated me as if I was not as capable as others due to being an intern, but this changed as the year progressed.

My line manager was hugely supportive and offered guidance wherever I needed it.

Occasionally I was so busy I felt overwhelmed, but on other days, the pace was a lot slower and more manageable. I like working under a little pressure, so it suited me being busy the majority of the time, but it may not be the best for people who like to take it easy.

I was given a lot of responsibility once I had proven myself within the role. It took a while to get there, but it felt as though my team and managers believed that I was capable enough to do a lot on my own and even manage some marketing campaigns.

Not only did I develop skills and contacts that I can carry forward (I made sure to make as many LinkedIn connections as possible), but the amount of responsibility that I was trusted with has led to me having great things to show from my year. It was definitely not a waste of time, as I now feel that it will be much easier to narrow down my search for a graduate role, as I know what I enjoyed, have training in certain areas of business and have developed skills that will make me more desirable as an employee (hopefully).

At times it was really fun, especially if a new toy line was launching as there would be activities and more toys around the place. Its really good once you get to know people and feel a bit more relaxed, but was daunting to start with. It isn't a hostile, strict workplace in the slightest and doesn't feel overly professional due to the smart casual dress code. Half day Fridays definitely help keep everyone in good spirits towards the end of the week!

I think it depends on your role. You won't stick to your job description to the T and should not expect to. I strayed quite far from what I was initially expecting to do but this was not a bad thing at all... I was given many more opportunities to do exciting things and they do monitor your progress and work effectively with 'Accelerating Performance' trackers.

There were a lot of chances to do additional training in software such as Excel, PowerPoint, NPD and various other opportunities to do further training and develop your skillset should you wish to. There were also other types of development training available, such as 'Maximising My Potential' and personality tests to find out how you can improve how you work. It was helpful and I feel like they set me up to be able to do my role effectively.

Although I have not received a formal job offer, if suitable opportunities arise around the time I graduate, I will be considered for the role. A lot of my colleagues had previously been interns on placement years and had returned to full time employment with Mattel after university, so there is definitely potential.

We planned our own social activities occasionally but because many of us lived at home with our parents, it just wasn't possible to be hugely sociable outside of the workplace. At work, we all had lunch at the same time and sat together usually, which was nice. Everyone got on with each other reasonably well.

I lived at home so didn't really have a high cost of living. People that did rent paid quite a lot of money but their wages and student loans seemed to cover their cost of living. To socialise and go out is cheaper the further away you go from London, i.e. Reading is cheaper than Windsor and Maidenhead, but it is more difficult to get there. Maidenhead isn't the best place in terms of socialising opportunities.

Not great. If you travel out a little and go to Reading or London which are all within about half an hour on the train or easy to get to in a taxi it is a lot more varied, but Maidenhead and nearby Windsor are average.

Weekly football but it was mainly for guys. There started to be a lot more things arranged towards the end of my placement when the charity / social committee started putting on more activities.