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
I really enjoyed my year placement with Nissan. It offered so many opportunities and experiences that I wouldn't have gotten with just any other placement.
The department and section I worked in was great. I was never made to feel like 'just a placement student' but a valued member of the team! I got to do a lot of high profile work during my year and got to have a lot of responsibility without it being too much pressure.
The management at Nissan are lovely and really helpful. They all want you to get the most out of your placement that they can. They were extremely supportive of my University related studies while I worked there and allowed me the flexibility to fit it all in so that I didn't become too stressed.
It was a really busy time while I worked there. There was more than enough work to fit into one day and so there were periods that required a lot of over time, but I always just considered this part of the job. I never even had a full hour where I had no work to do.
After a few months there I was given a lot of reasonability which I was happy about. Obviously anything too high profile needs to be checked by your manager first, but the level of work I was given was extremely important. A lot of my work was shown to high up employees all over the world.
Nissan offer amazing internal training courses for all employees every single day, like 'leading yourself' and 'presentation skills'. This are a great opportunity to develop skills along side the work you do on a daily basis. I learned loads of useful skills for after university and for my final year.
The Company
The office always had quite a serious and stressed feeling to it but this is only to be expected within big companies. Saying this the people are lovely and really do make you feel welcome and included. There are a lot things that go on such as buffets, socials and food every single month!
Overall it is well organised as they are so used to taking on placement students. A bit more communications wouldn't have been bad but what was given was more than enough. The welcome introduction is extremely helpful and prepares you for joining the company.
The company really do invest in your personal training and development. Any opportunities you wish to take they are likely to support and even go out of their way to do so. Nissan make it clear that they invest in its employees so they benefit from seeing you develop.
Subsidised Canteen
Sports and Social Club
Subsidised/Company Gym
National Travel
International Travel
Company Parties/Events
Staff Sales/Staff Shop
Above 25 days holiday
Healthcare/Dental
I'd be extremely happy if I worked for Nissan again. They are a great company with a lot of options for movement to different roles, cities and even countries. The perks are amazing for such a large company. There's a reason why so many of the employees stay working there for their entire careers.
The Culture
The placement students for my intake were lovely. You meet a lot of them at your induction and the friends you make then can last the entire year (it did for me). My colleagues were lovely and we had quite a few external celebrations while I was there. It was nice to spend time with colleagues outside of the office.
The only down side to the location is the transport links; you either drive or you get the one bus that stops by it (which is just typical bus fare). However the bus runs frequently to both Newcastle and Sunderland. Being in the North socialising is extremely cheap. The rent's some of the best you'll find in all of the UK and the properties are lovely.
Newcastle's nightlife is amazing. The drinks are cheap, there's amazing food and some lovely quieter bars if that's what you prefer. There's somewhere for everyone and the people are friendly to you even if they are drunk. Your couldn't ask for a better nightlife scene.
If you want to find something else to do in the area you'll have no problem. There's lots of bands, clubs and other activities you could sign up for in your spare time. Newcastle is such a large city that there's always something happening and something to do.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
North East
April 2019