Accounting Controls Undergraute Review

by Volkswagen Financial Services

Best Student Employer

Rating

4/5
  • The Role
    4.7
  • The Company
    4.0
  • The Culture
    3.0

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I loved working at VWFS, honestly couldn't fault the whole year. As there was 26 undergraduates also in the same situation starting the placement didn't feel daunting at all - there was lots of social aspects as well and we all got on well. I was able to have exposure to lots of different areas of the business through overviews.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • I felt highly valued by my team and also my Manager. It felt really rewarding to be given the work with the same weight as full time employees, I was treated like my other colleagues rather than an undergraduate. I really enjoyed working within my team and they always were there to help me if I needed and I've learnt a lot from them.

    5/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • A highlight for me was the support that I was given by the business and by my manager from the offset. Everyone in the business is invested in your personal development and this is demonstrated in the structure of the placement. As soon as I started I was given objectives that I was to meet by certain deadlines, both work related and personal and these were constantly reviewed in 1:1's.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • A typical month began with month end which was the busiest time of the month as there was deadlines which were important to meet. I then completed my BAU tasks which were more flexible with deadlines, and any adhoc projects that I was working on or any other work that came up within the month. The end of the month was then preparing for the next month end. It feel like a lot of work when you start your placement but you soon adjust to the fast paced nature of the job.

    4/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • I was immediately given responsibility, however, a smooth handover period delivered by the previous undergraduate allowed me to get to grips with all the tasks in my role. I had the opportunity to get involved with a lot of projects and collaborate with different teams on interesting pieces of work. I often was relied on for preparing analysis for meetings.

    5/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • I believe that working for a year really gives you an insight into the corporate world and also most importantly helps you decide what you may want to do after you finish university. Using Excel and SAP has enabled me to develop skills that can be transferrable even post degree and I have refined my analysis skills through the work we do at month end. Working in a bigger business means that sometimes you have to speak to people across the business, so networking and knowing who to speak to is important, these soft skills I believe will really help me in the future.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The office was always very positive and relaxed. The building is really modern and I think that helps. All colleagues are very approachable and no matter what role or job title will be happy to have a chat with you. We were actively encouraged to complete overviews with other teams and when you approached other teams for overviews they were more than happy to speak to you.

    5/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • The placement had a great structure, we were all given an induction when we began and there was many Life skills sessions held throughout the year. As mentioned previously, we were all given objectives at the beginning of the year which really helped give you a direction of what you wanted your year to look like, and allowed you to complete things outside of your normal BAU work.

    5/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • Throughout the whole placement, VWFS highly invested in your self development. There was courses that you were able to enrol in and all undergraduates were enrolled in an intermediate Excel course and a Powerful Presentations course which was highly informative. You were given a lot of flexibility on what you wanted to focus on in terms of development for example, our year was interested in the auction houses so they were able to organise a day for us to go visit the site and see a live auction happening.

    4/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Flexi Time

    Company Car

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    Financial Bonus

    Company Parties/Events

    Above 25 days holiday

    Working from home

    3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • I believe there is a Graduate scheme available wth VWFS, however it only runs every 2 years and unfortunately isn't running next year otherwise I wouldn't have any hesitation to apply.

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • There was 26 of the undergraduates so we organised lots of social events. Half of them relocated to MK so it was easy to organise nights out between us all, which would have been difficult as I commuted.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • I'm not sure.

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • MK is mostly bars but there are a few places that you can go out. Downside is you have to get a taxi to pretty much everywhere.

    3/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • I know there was a football team that few of the undergraduates got involved with and they got to meet more people in the business. There was lots of local volunteering opportunities you could get involved in.

    3/5

    Report this review

Details

Placement (10 Months+)

East Midlands

June 2020


View More Reviews