EMEA Support Accountant Review

I really enjoyed the placement. It provided me with a chance to use a variety of skills in different circumstances throughout the year. I was also part of a really good team who helped me settle in from the start. The atmosphere in the workplace was fantastic throughout, and the placement was made more enjoyable thanks to the other interns who were in the same position.

I felt like my colleagues treated me on their level, both in my team and other departments. They were willing to trust me with tasks, and asked for my thoughts as well, valuing my input. Moreover, they were willing to trust me with greater responsibilities as the placement progressed and helped foster a really good work environment over the year.

My direct manager really helped me settle in to my placement. We had regularly one on one meetings to discuss my progress as well as if there were any difficulties I was facing. He encouraged me to be open regarding my workload and let me know where I was doing well. However what helped most was he also pointed out areas of improvement to be made which was beneficial.

For the most I was busy over the course of my placement. There were periods of slightly lower workload but I was always able to ask my manager for further tasks to take on in order to fill the less busy periods. For the most part however there was a good balance throughout the 13 months.

As the placement progressed I was given more responsibilities, helping to prepare smaller entity accounts and doing slightly larger tasks. This challenged me further which was hugely beneficial as it aided my development over the year by being able to work on more skills. My team trusted me as the placement developed with more tasks and valued my input.

The skills I developed and my placement tasks will really help me in my degree studies. This is because my degree is Accounting and Financial Management and my placement was as a Support Accountant so they are directly related. My placement has allowed me to see accounting in practice which I will be able to implement when I go back to studying theoretical accounting next year at university. The skills and training will also prepare me for future jobs as it has provided a really valuable experience to develop on in future.

The general atmosphere in the office was really balanced. Everyone was really helpful as well as not being overly regimental or strict. There were obviously deadlines and rules to adhere to but it was a collaborative and enjoyable environment with perks like the games room and canteen providing moments to slightly relax away from work as well when needed.

There is a specific placement scheme set up by Intel with a clear application process, deadlines and placements to apply to. In the first 6 weeks of the placement we also had a 'handover period' from the previous interns to help show us the ropes and settle in, learning tasks and the aspects of our role which was a great help. It was very well organised, with about 50 other interns also recruited.

There were specific online courses at the start of the year which provided Intel specific training, but more development occurred simply through learning from mistakes and doing different tasks over the course of the year and working in such a big company. Potentially training could be an aspect to improve on in future.

There are reasonably good prospects due to the size of the company. However this depends on the department and number of vacancies made available in graduate positions. When these are available, they make offers first directly to the interns after good performance, which is an incentive for interns to perform well over the course of the placement.

There was a really good social scene, made better because of the number of interns (50+). During the first 6 weeks handover period there were weekly social events as a form of icebreakers, and there is an Intern Sports and Social club as well which organised events roughly on a monthly basis. This was definitely one of the benefits compared to other placements.

Compared to other areas in the south, the cost of living and socialising is definitely lower which is definitely helpful especially as a student. The rent was also very affordable in most of Swindon so it is a decent area to live cost wise. Restaurants in Swindon are also for the most part very affordable.

The nightlife is reasonably good, for a town like Swindon. There are a couple of clubs as well as quite a few restaurants, and pubs so ok.

There was opportunity to be part of different intern committees/clubs such as Intern Sports and Social Club, Intern Publishing committee and Intel Inspire. I was part of Intel Inspire which was a great opportunity to volunteer, hosting STEM based activity learning days for visiting local primary or secondary school classes or visiting those schools themselves. One of the great things about this internship is the chance to do extra things outside of work.