Sales Operations Undergraduate at Volkswagen Group UK

Duration
Placement Year (10 Months+)
Region
Milton Keynes South East
Review Date
Salary
£16,000 - £17,999
Roles
Administration/Secretarial Logistics and Operations Sales

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6.6/10

The Role
7.7
Organisation
6.8

Socialising

4.8

The Role

1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

I enjoyed working for Volkswagen Group UK (VWG), there were many opportunities across the organisation and lots of other things to get involved in such as charity involvement. It was a great scheme and well organised, with many benefits.

7/10

2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

I felt very valued by my colleagues- they were very supportive throughout my year and were keen for me to get involved in many different teams to widen my exposure. I was given lots of responsibility from the start, and had regular updates with my team about my progress and what i am gaining from my placement.

9/10

3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

Despite having 3 changes of line manager, all were supportive and guided me throughout my placement year. They were consultative and had regular meetings to ensure i was enjoying what i was doing, and benefiting from it. They invested lots in me as an undergraduate and i felt a valued member of the team.

9/10

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

This varied depending on the time of the month, as it was very busy at month end. There were some months where i wasn't given many tasks and had to go out looking for things and asking for extra work to fill my time. i think focusing on the placement scheme and specific job role and tasks could definitely be improved.

6/10

5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

I was given some responsibility on individual tasks, and reports at the end of the month. However I wasn't able to see many tasks through/see where they went, as they mostly went to my line manager.
I was given responsibility when working across my brand with other departments, representing my division.

7/10

6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

I received good experience and enjoyed my placement year. I learnt many general business skills, understanding culture and office life. I think this will be beneficial in future roles, alongside my improved numerical skills and system skills such as excel.

8/10

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

There was a positive atmosphere within my team, but not as much cross-team interaction as i expected. It was quite a quiet atmosphere and i think i would strive better in a fast-paced and louder environment.
Atmosphere was inclusive, and many people were willing to help and guide me as an undergraduate.

8/10

8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

I thought it was organised very well initially, i.e. introduction, recruitment process, first day objectives etc. However we didn't refer back to these introductory packs with objectives, and it seemed that managers were unaware of these.
I also think my job role needed more clarity, in order to understand what i was working towards throughout my year.

6/10

9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

Good personal training and development, lots of courses to get involved in and managers encouraged going on these.

9/10

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

  • Flexi Time
  • Company Car
  • Financial Bonus
  • Above 25 days holiday
8/10

11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

Good prospects and graduate scheme sounded great- however recruitment process was dealt with really poorly, and we were initially told the outcome would be announced end of June 2019, and it has been delayed and still not announced with poor follow up contact, at the end of October 2019.
Graduate scheme not guaranteed a job afterwards.

3/10

Social

12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

Really good social scene, 35 undergraduates and around 8 graduates. Lots of social events with them that we organised ourselves.
Lack of social events within brand/with colleagues in my specific brand.

5/10

13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

Milton Keynes was very different to anywhere I have lived before, and many of us lived quite far apart from each other. Socialising in the centre was decent, and cost of living was quite expensive. 2 bedroom flat in a nice area by the office, was around £1000 PCM (average amongst undergraduates)

5/10

14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

Number of bars, clubs quite spread out and expensive as you have to get taxis across MK.

4/10

15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

Charity opportunities and fitness event were available.
Milton Keynes have lots of extra curricular activities too, such as dance schools.

5/10

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