Operations Intern Review

I throughly enjoyed my placement at Eaton. I have learned a lot about myself and my dat to day work ethic and has significantly prepared me for entering the world of work. I am so glad i chose to take an internship and in comparison to other placements that some of my peers had, i think i was very lucky to have gotten one with Eaton.

I felt truly as one of the team. I did not feel as though i was an intern, but more like a normal employee. I was given constant review from my manager on my progress and praised me on the good work i did.

I had great support from my line manager and the managers across site. I had regular 1 to 1 meetings and always felt as though i could speak to my manager about any problems i had. This allowed me to work to my full potential and improve on my flaws.

I was busy 90% of the time. I was constantly giveen new tasks on a daily basis and when these tasks were completed, i felt a responsibility to investigate problems i discovered myself in order to improve the workplace for myself and my collegues.

I was given a lot of responsibility which i respected and this in turn improved my confidence in the workplace. I was allowed to stand-in for my line manager's meetings and he gave me a sense of belief and trust in my abilities which was great for my confidence. This also cascaded down the line as other employees would come to me with their problems.

I think the most significant benefit from this placement to my studies is the change in my work ethic. Working a 37.5 hour week in comparison to the contact time i have at university has allowed me to see how much work i can contribute to my studies per week. In terms of technical skills, i learned very little for my course but i knew this was going to be the case with the nature of my placement in comparison to my degree course.

It was a very friendly atmosphere. I got along with everyone in my factory. My actual office was small and only consisting of 3 other people, but i loved working with them all. This also made it easier to come into work every day because i enjoyed working with the people i was spending most time with.

It was well organised. There was a rigorous schedule so i knew what to prepare for and i could speak to the placement coordinators if i had any problems with my work or the upcoming deadlines.

I had lots of training days to develop skills and broadcast them to my managers and the palcement coordinators. I also had a milestone presentation at the end of my year to discuss the work i had contributed to the company which is also useful for potential further employement with Eaton and elsewhere.

I am definitely considering applying back at Eaton for a graduate scheme or other further employement due to the fact that they were so helpful to me and values me as they did. I am however not looking for jobs in my current situation but am lookign to do this in the future.

The whole social environment was very welcoming and there were lots of events going on. The canteen was useful to allow me to talk to and make friends with other collegues and apprentices. My site had a large number of apprentices too which was good to have more people my age range to talk to.

The cost of living was very standard. I was able to live comfortably witth the standard intern salary provided to me. At no point did i feel as though i was struggling with money and allowed me to have a social life also.

The nightlife was okay but fairly limited but this was due to the location of being in North Devon. However, i enjoyed to pubs and bars as i had made lots of friends on placement.

I joined a climbing/boulderin club very close by to work and i frequented the beaches which were only a short drive away. This meant that i could have got more involved with surfing and sea sports despite the lack of interest personally. But there were lots of opportunities for other activities such as sport and gyms.