Commercial Business Associate Review

As part of the commercial team, I was given huge amount of responsibility from day one, and thrown straight in the deep end. Working in a fast paced and close knit team, I was exposed to a range of different processes and able to develop a wide scope of skills which will benefit me as my career moves forward. Communicating with people all over the world - specifically Czech Republic, India, Ireland and the odd occasion other countries around Europe, it enabled me to improve my understanding of different cultures and how they operate-further improved by my trip to Prague.

Working in such a dynamic and close team I felt welcomed and valued by my colleagues from day one - given huge amounts of responsibility and the opportunity to shadow and help various members of my team on large and complex deals. Outside of my team it can sometimes feel like there is a lack of respect from those higher up to myself as an intern.

From day one I had support from multiple people at SAP. You are given a buddy in your team who is there to help support and develop your skills with your time at SAP. I have fortnightly 1 to 1s with my manager, coming up with development plans and ways I can maximize my time at SAP. Finally, we have a placement committee who help you feel settled and welcome from the get go.

SAP operates in quarters, often with a significant rush towards the end days of each quarter, meaning busyness can significantly vary depending on the day/time of the month. Having said this, as I got to grips with my role and the internal processes of SAP I was able to expand my horizons in times where it wasn't so busy, shadowing colleagues within and outside of my department.

In the commercial team the two interns are responsible for obtaining countersignatures and ensuring deals are booked for all on-premise deals in the UK and Ireland-if done incorrectly this can directly affect the share price. Having said this, with a previous intern in the team, we were given lots of support.

Working in a multi-national software company exposes you to terms, concepts and skills that will be extremely useful moving forward, particularly in a world where technology is ever developing. Working with ERP and cloud systems, I have been exposed to a range of software and technology which will look great on a CV. Overall, although my time here may not help me with my further studies it will definitely benefit my career.

The office is open plan meaning you are able to interact with people in all stages of their career, whether it be other interns or the CFO, which is fantastic for motivation and ensuring people feel valued. Free lunch, gym and reduced Costa coffee is also a massive benefit. There is usually something going on on the ground floor - whether it be learning about charities, a free pic n mix, or an end of quarter bbq! My only negative would be the varying population depending on time of the quarter!

For me, the placement was very well organized - there is a committee purely set up for the benefit of the interns with a week of on-boarding and regularly updates and meet ups. The committee keeps in communication with your manager to ensure your development, and multiple group chats ensures you do not miss out on any opportunities!

There is various training opportunities available on the company JAM page for you to take up on online. The placement committee also ensured that any training asked for was carried out, with classes and meetings set up with various staff members throughout the company taking them to ensure our development. Within my team, colleagues regularly set aside time to allow me to shadow them, train me to be able to carry out some of their daily tasks and nurture my development.

Although SAP does not have an official grad scheme in place, interns have come back year after year to various departments. For example, in my role, 3 out of the last 4 interns have come back and are now employed in various departments across SAP. There is a definite potential to be able to come back but nothing set in stone!

The intern committee set up weekly social drinks and activities, usually on a Thursday, that I could regularly get involved with. My team also has quarterly socials which were always good fun! My only problem was i lived at home so sometimes getting back or organizing to stay at someones house could be problematic!

Although my commute from home could vary from 45 mins to an hour and a half, I chose to live at home in order to save as much money as I could. If you want to live somewhere relatively nice around the office then you would have to pay a huge amount of rent and still travel in as Feltham isn't a particularly nice area. That being said, in some ways I wish I had lived with other interns and nearby as I would have saved a lot of time in the daily commute and had a lot more fun!

The nightlife in Feltham isn't great, but Clapham, Richmond, Putney and even central London is a short tube or overground away and they all have great bars, clubs and places to go out in the evenings. Only negative would be it was hard to go for a 'quick pint' after work as there wasn't anywhere particularly nice nearby.

Throughout my placement there was endless opportunities advertised to us through the intern committee, placement committee and within our teams. Depending on how much extra time you have, most interns have been involved in an extra project, exhibit or activity outside of work. I played football for SAP every monday and wednesday which was only a short drive away, and even had the opportunity to go to Germany on a football tour, however, with COVID 19 this may no longer happen.