Quality Intern Review

Overall, my experience at BMW was very positive, the environment at work and the office was very friendly and I looked forward to going to work every day. However, I found myself unengaged the entire time and had to remind myself to be proactive and look for work, otherwise I would never be given any.

During my time here at BMW, I developed a professional and personal relationship with all of my colleagues. There was a sense of community in my department and I knew I could always ask anyone for help when necessary. They made me feel like a valued part of the team.

I had a close relationship with my manager and she made it very clear from the start that if I ever need help or support in projects I can turn to her. This was extremely helpful, especially in the start, when I was first learning about terminologies and processes in car manufacturing.

Unfortunately, I often found myself bored, especially at the start. For future interns, I would advise to go out of your way to ask for more work from different people and always have ongoing tasks. In this department, if you're not proactive and independent, you will find yourself quite bored and the internship will be a wasted opportunity.

In my 5 months at the BMW plant I generally supported other people in the office with administrative tasks. However, once I was introduced to the department and the work they do here, I was able to get my own projects and was trusted to develop them on my own.

Overall, I managed to develop some skills at BMW which will be useful later on, however I feel with the coronavirus timing my development was hindered and I could have made more use of my time here had I not been furloughed. Your time at this company is what you make of it, you won't be forced to go above and beyond.

The office environment was great, everyone was really friendly and welcoming from the start. It felt more like a family that people just working together. They made sure to answer all my questions and concerns. Most importantly, the balance was good - they were all able to switch quickly between fun and work whenever necessart.

From the start it was a bit difficult, organisation-wise. I was only able to sign a contract a month late as they sent it to a wrong address. Because of this, I could only get a company account later on which prevented me from working on my own work laptop for a few weeks. Also, there were no clear-set intern tasks.

At BMW in this department, it's more important that you are proactive and go out of your way to seek new opportunities for development. Doing the bear minimum is acceptable but it is just that and will not be rewarded. Showing interest, motivation and initiative is more likely to be encouraged and rewarded.

BMW group has a good 24 month graduate scheme, internship scheme and apprentice scheme which are worth looking into, however career progression can definitely be difficult here. However, employees are rewarded well for their work as salaries are good and there are different perks like company cars, healthcare, bonuses, etc.

The environment at work is great and very friendly, feels like a family rather than just colleagues going to work. There were some department socials (not many opportunities due to coronavirus). The intern circle was also quite good as it provided a good network at work and outside of work.

Oxford is definitely more expensive than most of England in regards to rent and living costs. It more resembles London prices. However, intern salaries are not adjusted to that and therefore it is a bit more difficult to manage and therefore I think it would be a good idea to increase them where possible.

As heard from people who have lived in Oxford, the nightlife used to be better but a lot of clubs and bars have closed down. However, there are still quite a few about, ranging from average prices to more expensive ones. Students nights out are the best, however they are during the week which isn't the best if you have work the next day. Atik and The O2 are the main ones I know and they were quite good.

The location of the placement is good, as Oxford is a great and beautiful city and it's only an hour away from London, where there's lots to do. Additionally, two interns at the plant were responsible for organising social events outside of work every Thursday night - like pub crawls, laser tag, bowling, etc.