This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
There were tough days whilst working here, however the team I was surrounded with made daily work enjoyable. The people were what made the job fun, but sometimes the operation made it hard to enjoy work.
In the first six months I felt very valued. In the peak busy period I was given lots of responsibility and I was praised for my performance, however in the last six months I felt that there was not much opportunity given for extra-development and learning new things. However I do feel like I am a competent team manager and play a key role.
Again at first I had all of the needed support and it helped me grow into a competent manager quickly. However once I became a competent manager I felt that the support and guidance slowed down later into the placement and it stopped feeling like I was on an IP scheme a little.
Very busy. Always on my feet and with something to do. Which is a positive for me because I don't like to be stood still.
I was surprised at the amount of responsibility I was given in the early stages of the placement. I was pleased to also have received such a key role in the busiest peak days at Christmas. Even in the regular periods of the year there was times were I was trusted to run an entire chamber of the warehouse by myself, which was great.
This placement was perfect for my degree. A full year of managing different individuals in different situations, delegating responsibility and managing an entire operation by myself was the perfect learning curve for a beginner manager.
The Company
The team at the Barnsley depot where I'm based is great. Great chemistry and makes work good fun whilst co-operating effectively at the same time.
At the start I felt like there was a clear plan in place for my development. However, I felt in the second half of the placement, there wasn't much in store for me and they had nothing planned for me going forward since I had grew into the role. It was not until June when I was given another side project which made me feel like they had something I store for me.
As previously described I feel like it could have been more organised and had more of a clear development strategy in place.
Financial Bonus
GIST will definitely be on my list of options when I graduate as the graduate scheme offers a lot more opportunity for progression and opens the door for a solid career. However, I will most definitely be looking for other opportunities.
The Culture
At the site there was myself (an IP), a graduate and an apprentice. The three of us have become good friends working together. However, there is only one of each position and therefore means there isn't much of a large social scene for placement students.
Reasonably cheap. Based in Barnsley, Yorkshire, so not as expensive as being down south.
Barnsley isn't the best for a night out.
Occasionally as a team we would all go for a curry together. And there was two or three times that myself and the graduate would go down to head office for training days which were very beneficial.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
July 2018