Finance Assistant Review

My year at Groupe SEB was very enjoyable, I was able to get involved with lots of different parts of the business from finance to retail to marketing. This made for a great year and meant I was able to meet lots of different people.

At Groupe SEB I felt like I was working with my colleagues rather than for them. I felt like I held an important role in the organisation and provided colleagues with important information. I also enjoyed spending time with my colleagues on a personal level and found it great getting to know them.

My manager held an open door policy so it was easy for me to ask any questions if I was unsure about something. This greatly helped when I was settling into the role.

The workload varied depending on the period. Generally I had plenty of work to be getting on with but sometimes it would be a bit quiet and other times very busy.

I felt like I had a lot of responsibility in the organisation, there were a lot of monthly reports that I would produce and send to various management. It was also good to feel like my colleagues trusted me if they had any questions, rather than asking my manager.

I have greatly developed my skills over the past year after gaining experience with various financial and reporting software as well as developing Microsoft Excel skills. I have also gained a well rounded knowledge of the finance function that will help me in my final year of University.

The atmosphere is very relaxed in the office which suited my work style. I feel like everybody in the office gets on really well and does the work they need to do at the same time. I feel like this is a very enjoyable work environment and you are able to work in whatever manner that suits you.

I feel like there was a clear plan when I first started the placement with various steps to my induction. This is then followed up with a review after a few months and a final year review. I think it would have been good to set some goals with my manager and regularly review them.

In this sense the company were great, they sent me on a Microsoft Excel training course and paid for me to get lots of out of office experience by doing some auditing. I feel like the company always pushed me to try my best and I have seen myself develop through this.

Groupe SEB is a global company with many future prospects, such as graduate schemes in the head office in France. I feel like this is a great company to work for and is one that will invest in you to further your career. The company offers great benefits and the experience I have had so far has been enjoyable.

There are only a handful of interns within the office but they are all very friendly and I have made great friends with them. We regularly spent time together outside of work, playing football, going to the gym or going for drinks. I am sure I will stay in contact with them.

The cost of living was not too different to what I am used to. The biggest expense I incurred was the rent of getting a place near to the office. Aside from this I felt comfortable money-wise.

The office is based in Windsor so there are quite a few bars in the area. Also, London is only a train away so it is easy to spend a night there.

I would regularly play football with my work colleagues which was fun. In the area there are lots of sports clubs to join also. I spent a lot of my time outside of work at the gym or visiting friends and family across the country.