Structured Finance and Treasury Undergraduate Review

by Volkswagen Financial Services

Best Student Employer

Rating

3.5/5
  • The Role
    3.7
  • The Company
    3.3
  • The Culture
    3.4

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I have enjoyed it quite a lot - I have started off as Structured Finance Undergraduate and half way through due to my performance I have been given additional role of Treasury Undergraduate. I have been able to learn a lot from the experience and was trusted by the managers to do my job.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • As in every firm there will be the ones who value you more than others. Most of my colleagues have been supportive and actually we went on to have very good working relationship. Of course there was few which were stuck in their own old ways and nothing was due to change their view so it made it challenging but not outweighing the good experience

    4/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • As previously mentioned my managers (both of them) were very supportive, provided me more work when needed and helped me to succeed - can't fault them for anything. They have been open to feedback provided to me and were there when I need them. They have also put a lot of trust in me - when needed to change working hours due to commute pain, they were both happy to do it!

    4/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • At first I wasn't as busy due to previous undergraduate getting workload for a month which I was able to do in 2 weeks. After when this was spotted more work was being thrown at me as well as got my second part of the job which never happened before so I had 2 placements in one - love to be busy!

    4/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • The responsibility level was completely up to you and how much you have put in would be how much you would get out. I was fortunate enough to have managers who did gave me a lot of responsibilities including helping with audit or contacting external parties like banks in different countries.

    4/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • Finance is the field i want to get into so exposure to two roles will be fantastic for my future. Exposure to different systems was also very positive. Company have also paid for external people to come in and provide training which included presentation course, excel course (although advanced course was not provided even when me and few more people have asked).

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • It was friendly, everyone was saying good morning to each other and they were always happy to help. There was some working from home allowed and support there if needed. Office was used more in working hours so you didn't see so many people working earlier/late which meant everyone's work-life balance was okay

    4/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • It was fairly well organized - the company did this for years therefore they already have practice in this kind of things. The only thing was the starting when access is not fully given so for first 1/2 weeks you cant do much due to IT not giving you all permissions yet!

    3/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • As said before they do invest in you as they have a great programmed build BUT if you do ask them anything outside of it e.g. Microsoft excel advanced course you would probably not get it as budget already is allocated so I think they could be more flexible with it. Other than that they do spend quite a bit of time on you.

    3/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Subsidised Canteen

    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?
  • Company is growing and will never stop until people don't need car finance. It has expanded over the years so overall you do see the potential. There are some people who are in their roles very long time therefore might be harder to get where you want to be but good place to learn from for sure!

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • Yes there was we were keep organizing get togethers, meals and nights out. Especially in city like Milton Keynes the nightlife is not so bad! There was 27 of us therefore sometimes it was slightly harder than in other times to fit everyone's taste but we got there at the end.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • Milton Keynes is not as expensive but also wont be your cheapest. It is your city for financial services for cars therefore prices might be slightly higher for certain products e.g. meals out but then on other side there are happy hours and cheaper days or lunch menus therefore it is okay (much lower than London definitely!).

    4/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • There are few clubs in Milton Keynes and they do fit most of the tastes. It is not London where you will have 100's but you do have a bit of posh pubs and restaurants where you can go out therefore you wont be bored. One thing to highlight would be the MK center - there are few good restaurants in there!

    3/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • Yes I have been involved in mentoring a year 9 student in nearby school as well as company offers some hours for charity work - it is not pushed but it is there if you want it. I have also been involved in social club where we have organized nights out for department.

    4/5

    Report this review

Details

Placement (10 Months+)

North West

June 2020


View More Reviews