Digital Finance/ Business Analyst

Working for Sony was an incredible experience although a very demanding role. I was looking for an organization that would allow me to grow professionally in any area and Sony gave me that. They allowed me to branch out and follow training that wasn't solely specific to my role. I would recommend working for Sony Professional Solutions to anyone!

I felt very valued by my colleagues and wider team. I was treated as a full-time employee and many of them didn't realise that I was actually on my placement year. Although I may not have had all the necessary skills for the role, my colleagues supported me and taught me a lot throughout the year.

My line manager was incredibly supportive and we had bi-monthly meetings regarding my progress and updates on my role. She was also very understanding and helpful regarding my university work that I had to complete throughout the year. I also received a lot of feedback and support from the team and department managers which working closely with them, helped immensely.

I had daily, weekly and monthly tasks that I had to complete but every day was different. Overall my role was very busy as I was working across a lot of projects and teams. I love that kind of environment so although challenging sometimes, I thrived in a busy role.

I was the only one in my department doing the work I was on so I was given a lot of responsibility. It was a lot of pressure sometimes but I loved it. I felt extremely valued within the team and I wasn't just another intern. You will be challenged during the year but you learn a lot along the way.

I was given a lot of opportunities to participate in workshops and learning sessions offered by Sony . I was also very motivated and encouraged to go to external training whilst on placement. My skills developed immensely, particularly working with Microsoft apps but equally soft skills such as my professionalism in the office.

The atmosphere in the office varied from department. Working in the marketing area, it was a very young, dynamic and amicable environment. Most people were very approachable and we had team building activities often. I was very lucky to be placed in this area and really enjoyed the social side too.

The placement was well organized and we had several placement days where we visited other Sony offices. It was good to have a few days focusing on other opportunities than just the day to day work life. They did however have a few issues organizing this year's batch of students as an employee left and someone else had to take on the work.

The company encouraged me to work on my personal development and let me participate in several training sessions. I made the most out of it and networked too, meeting colleagues from other departments working in different areas which I may be interested in. They allowed me to work and develop outside of the role I had.

Sony have very few graduate roles post university and we were told early on that not many placement students came back to work for Sony. There was no graduate scheme until recently so the few that do work for Sony were students that kept in touch with their current teams.

The social side is fairly active, the placement students had parties and organized a few social events across the year. The place where the office is, is not the most sociable of towns so most students went home reguarly. The work teams are very sociable, going for lunches and after work drinks is a regular occurence.

I managed to get a place fairly close to the town centre cheaply and cost of living was average but I spent a lot of money on travel visiting friends in London as it is so close. Going out wasn't too expensive and there were a few bars and restaurants to choose from.

There was one club in the whole city and it wasn't great.. There were a few spoons and bars that we could go to for a few drinks after work but there wasn't much. London is fairly close on the train so we could there a few times to go out.

Not really. They had a social club but I didn't look into it so I don't know how much they did outside of work. They have a gym and cinema at work so you could go there at a discounted rate which was good. Otherwise it was quite quiet on activities outside of work.