UK Academic Licensing and Channel Operations Review

I looked forward to coming into work every morning of my placement. I felt like I was part of the team from day 1 and was respected as an employee, not a student. I was also able to take part in many other projects outside of my day to day job role allowing me to stretch and challenge myself. I had the opportunity to take part in the Microsoft UK Challenge which is a company event which over 100 companies take part in. The event is a 4 day/night challenge, navigating through the country via running, kayaking and cycling. The event I took part in took place in the Cambrian Mountains in Wales.

I felt very close to my team. I felt welcome from the start and bonded quickly with them all. Team socials were a great way of those building relationships.

I had monthly meetings with my manager, where we checked my progress and made an action plan for the next month. My manager supported me on an adhoc basis if I required any help and always pushed me to take on other projects in different areas of the business to widen my knowledge and get the most from the placement opportunity.

I was always kept busy which was fantastic. My day to day role took up most of the day however over-time as my knowledge increased I was able to work more efficiently and productively. I was then able to take on additional projects throughout the year accross different areas of the business which allowed me to network and widen my knowledge of the business. Managers accross the business were always willing to get me involved in other projects.

I was given a large amount of responibility from beginning to the end of my placement. I was responsibile for providing operational and licensing support to over 20 Microsoft partners, the 4 distributors as well as internally. I took on additional projects which involved even more responsibility; one project required me to call over 70 local authorities on behalf of Microsoft and I had a lead role in the BETT event in Jaunuary which is the the largest Educational Technology event in the world.

The skills I developed/learnt working at Microsoft are priceless. The contact with different stakeholders on a daily basis via telephone, email, face to face, live meetings, conference calls etc developed my confidence further, my presenation skills and my ability to communicate effectively via multiple methods. I learnt how important it was to build strong business relationships and to be able to work under high amounts of pressure.

The Education team was a team of approximately 20 people, which the 60-70% were often traveling around the UK visiting customers and partner meetings, the office was often quite quiet. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing as it allowed me to focus on the tasks that I needed to get done. If it did get too quiet, it was always possible to grab a coffee with another intern.

Very well organised!!! We had an induction week for 5 working days which included staying in univertiy halls of residence for those days to bond with the other interns (approx. 90). In that time we were either in Microsoft listening and watching presentations from different areas of the business or in London ona team building day. After the induction week, I had a laptop ready and waiting for me and the previous intern provided a 3 week handover to me which allowed me to ask lots of questions and get a feel for the job before they left.

Microsoft have 100's of on-line courses that you can take whenever you have the time. There are mandatory courses for all employees and then additional courses. When I had the time, I took a number of courses for personal benefit. Microsoft also have a library, where you can rent out books on business, MIcrosoft products and also learning CDs such as language CDs for the car.

As an intern there is an advantage to obtaining graduate positions at Microsoft. One, Microsoft allow the current interns to apply for the graduate roles before other students and two, the year at Microsoft allows you to network with anyone in the organisation which will be beneficial in the graduate interviews/assessment centres as you may know the interviewer.

There was always something going on, whether it be a sports social, a night in town or kareoke around an interns house. At the beginning of the year there were more socials as people were still getting to know each other and work had just started. As time went on, people were busier and busier and socials became less frequent. The interns were also given a budget from Microsoft to organise a summer ball and a christmas party. The education team that I was in, also organised a number of team meals and drinks in the evening to relax.

From speaking to a number of the interns, you would be looking to pay around £300 per month not including bills. If you live in the centre of town, you can take advantage of the free bus into work. I lived on the outskirts of Reading, in a place called Winnersh which took me approcimately 8 minutes by car to get into work. Not bad at all.

Compared to Bournemouth (where I go to university), the night-life wasn't incredible but there were still a good few places to go, such as Wetherspoons, Vodka Revolutions, Sakura etc.

There sports societies which ran outside of work such as football, cycling, go-karting, running etc. I also took part in the Microsoft UK Challenge where we were able to attend David Lloyd gym on a Wednesday morning for free.