Brand Manager Review

by Teach First

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

4/5
  • The Role
    4.1
  • The Company
    4.4
  • The Culture
    3.4

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I worked as a Brand Manager for Teach First for a year. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience as I was able to engage with the charity at a higher level whilst also engaging with the students who were interested in and went on to complete the programmes that Teach First offer. The nature of the works as interesting, it was varied and I had a lot of autonomy in my role. I worked with two other students and they were equally shared in the Teach First vision meaning that we were able to deliver our role to a very high standard.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • The Teach First vision is shared so strongly by all individuals that engage with the organisation. There are often some employees who do not go on to pursue the programmes but they are still shared in the vision of ending educational inequality. I believe that because we all shared in this vision and were working to better and expand the charity, each individual was valued and I felt as though I had a special place at Teach First. As a result of feeling valued and each individual aligning with the mission and goals of Teach First, it meant that we all were willing to contribute to the overall goal of the organisation.

    5/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • As a team of brand managers at each university, you are given a GRO (graduate recruitment officer) who works as a point of contact for many university teams. We had frequent meetings with our GRO which allowed us to plan for the year. We also had recruitment targets to hit, which meant that we knew exactly what was expected of us, and we knew to what extent we needed to focus our efforts and where. We were able to see how well we were progressing with recruitment and this ensured that as a team we stayed motivated and that we knew at all times what we were to focus on.

    4/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • The nature of the work was quite cyclical but that was the beauty of the job. We were responsible for organising our initiatives on campus which meant that there would be weeks that we were extremely busy and weeks when we were not working. We were able to balance the work alongside our commitments to ensure that it didn't take away from our studies at anytime. Usually the role would involve a few hours of work, but this really depended on the size of your team, the size of your university and your commitment to the role.

    3/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • We were solely responsible for organising all initiatives for Teach First on campus and we consulted our GRO when we had any issues or questions about the work that we were doing. This was good and bad because it meant that at times we were given too much responsibility and often having some guidance is useful. However I felt that having the autonomy to organise the events on campus was good because as students we understood exactly what would work best for Teach First on campus and we knew exactly how to most effectively market the charity.

    5/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • I feel that as part of the role I developed my teamwork, organisational and time management skills whilst also leveraging and improving my initiative and forward thinking ability. Having a job alongside my studies inherently meant that I needed to plan and to manage my time well, whilst working as a team of three meant that we had to keep in constant communication and to ensure that we each knew exactly what each other was doing. Also to encourage students to apply to Teach First and to engage with the mission of the organisation, it required us to think innovatively to attract students.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • Although this way a part-time role and therefore I was not based in the office, I often attended the office for training events throughout the year. When I attended the office, there was a clear laid back atmosphere and everybody in the office was extremely friendly and approachable. It appeared that everybody got on very well and it was a very inclusive and engaging environment to work in.

    5/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • At a top management level, the Brand Manager programme is extremely well run from the recruitment process all the way through to your end of year review. The interview process was seamless. Following this the on-boarding was very well structured - we had training before the job which was very appropriate and prepared us all well. Throughout the programme we were continuously giving feedback to improve the programme and I felt that our views were truly listened to.

    4/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • Teach First realise that their Brand Managers strongly buy into the message of Teach First and they rely on them to spread this message in the world. As a result of this, I feel that Teach First invested greatly in our training to ensure that we were painting a true and fair representation of Teach First on campus and that we were encouraged to deliver the firm well. I believe that Teach First understands the importance of training and I saw how beneficial this was throughout my time in the role as I always knew exactly what to do and what was expected of me.

    5/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • 4/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • Teach First's Leadership Development Programme (LDP) is extremely well respected and being a Brand Manager for the firm increases your chances of being accepted on the programme. The Leadership Development is really the best way for people to engage with the mission of Teach First, to spread the message and to have a tangible impact on the world in the process. Even if teaching is not your end goal, the LDP sets you in very good stead for many future careers.

    5/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • During training, Teach First often organised events for other Brand Managers to get to know one another and to share their thoughts and experiences of the role and the training. Aside from the facilitated social sessions that were encouraged at the training, I also feel that I spent a lot of time with my Brand Manager team of three as a result of the role. Although this was not facilitated by Teach First, I feel that the nature of the work naturally encourages you to engage with your team beyond the role.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • I was a Brand Manager at a university in London, meaning that the cost of living and socialising was inherently higher. Although this was only a part-time role, I believe that it's flexibility and pay is extremely fair, and that it adds nice extra income generation for you whilst at university. The fact that the work is flexible is incredibly useful, it means that you can balance your work to work more in some weeks that others and resultantly your income becomes flexible too.

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • I was a Brand Manager at a university in London, meaning that the nightlife was inherently livelier. Although this location was not circumstantial to the role, i.e. I lived here anyway, I don't feel that the role is important for the area. I do however believe that having this part-time job alongside my studies allowed me to remain flexible to spend time with my friends, whilst also having extra income to enjoy the perks that London offers.

    4/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • Aside from our part-time Brand Manager role, Teach First occasionally asked if there were any volunteers for other schemes and events that they ran. For example Teach First host their 'run the river' event and encouraged all Brand Managers to partake in the event. However aside from this I cannot think of other activities that we were encouraged to engage with outside of work, as this was only a part-time role.

    3/5

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Details

Advertising, Recruitment

London

November 2017


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