Foundation Business Co-ordinator

With a limited handover period the start was a struggle, however I grew to enjoy the responsilbility I was given. I enjoyed the team environment and felt supported by the management team. The opportunities that are available to you are endless if you put yourself out there, and I relished this.

Our individual roles inside the team overlapped significantly, as the onboarding process for all of the early professional schemes (interns, grads and apprentices) had their similarities. This meant that we worked together to achieve a common goal, and I felt respected for the work I was doing towards this shared target.

My personal Early professional manager did not give me as much support and guidance as I would've wanted, with them occasionally taking several weeks to respond to questions/advice. However the rest of the management team were incredibly helpful and supportive towards our everyday lives and development, and provided advice when needed.

My workload on a daily basis changed with the hiring periods - in the build up to and duration of an induction I was much busier. When no inductions were taking place, I have plenty of work to be getting on with, and had the option of taking online learning courses if I had completed my work

I was given a lot of responsibility during my placement over a lot of areas. This was great as it allowed me to grow my confidence in owning decisions and ultimately increased the success of the outcomes in these decisions. I personally would've liked more support with this ownership, as I felt out of my depth at many points during the year.

I think the skills I have developed this year will help me ten fold in my degree and career after university. Even before the skills, just the work ethic and routine that you get from working in industry will provide a much needed focus for your final year project and exams.

There was a good group of friendly interns in hursley and we were spread amongst 3 shared houses in Winchester. This meant that we could socialise at work during lunch (table tennis was a favourite!) and also chill after work by going to the pub, walking up St Catherines Hill and going to the driving range. This really helped the work-life balance!

Living in Winchester is expensive, with the rent costs sitting around £500 per month for a shared house. There are a few cheap pubs and food outlets, but because of the cities historic nature most places are a bit more pricey. There is an ALDI just outside of the city which allwos for a cheaper weekly shop (if you can drive)

Nightlife in Winchester is limited if you want to go out out, with the best option being Pitcher and Piano. This is also a bit pricey unless you go on a Thursday (student night). I would recommend organising to go to Southampton if you want a proper night out as there are many more options!