Parts Business Intern Review

I really enjoyed my year’s internship at DAF Trucks. I was given responsibility from day one and met some great people. I was lucky enough to travel to some of the dealer network sites and even to DAF HQ in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

I was treated as a valued member of the team straight away. I was given responsibilities from the start which allowed me to demonstrate my capabilities. I was given high level tasks which often meant liaising with senior directors. This also helped to build a solid rapport with all levels of management.

I was in constant communication with my manager. I felt comfortable asking him any questions throughout the duration of the placement year. We had regular meetings to discuss my personal objectives as well as ensuring I had support to complete my University work whilst on placement.

I had a variety of reports to create on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. The daily reports were completed early in the mornings which freed up time to complete ad hoc projects for the regional and product managers. I had a lot of work to do with deadlines but at no point did I feel it was an unfair or unmanageable work load.

I had a lot more responsibility than I originally thought prior to the placement. From day one I had access to a live pricing system. This allowed me to maintain and update retail prices, marketing codes and returns settings. My main responsibility was reporting, which is often the basis for management meetings and were regularly used in senior management presentations. Therefore, accuracy was a vital part of my role and responsibilities.

My placement really helped in my final year of study. It allowed me to relate the theoretical analysis of business situations to the practical knowledge I experienced during my year. It increased my self-confidence, time management and understanding of how multi-national firms operate. One of the most important developments was how I managed my work load. In my final year of study the workload increased dramatically, I used the work ethic I learnt during my placement of working Monday to Friday 9 to 5.

The office building is a welcoming place, people are friendly and there are free teas and coffees. Since there is a technical workshop on site there is a really good canteen offering great food at subsidised prices. Due to the nature of the placement a lot of the work overlaps with different departments, everyone is happy to help and open to new ideas.

There was a basic structure to the placement. This was basically supporting the parts sales business through reporting and pricing. However, I did get involved with a lot of ad hoc projects. You get what you want out of the placement, if you want to experience other departments and ways of working DAF are generally open to the idea of experiencing different areas.

DAF provided me with opportunities to broaden my understanding and experience of the truck industry. This involved visiting dealers and customers as well as going to the annual Commercial Vehicle Truck show at the NEC Birmingham.

The future opportunities at DAF are great, I actually accepted a job offer from DAF soon after my placement. This is also quite common with some of my predecessors returning to the company after graduating from University.

During my placement I was the only student. However, I did socialise with members of staff at company events such as the Christmas dinner and dance, the Parts conference and the CV Show.

I lived in Oxford and commuted by car to Thame. It is about 20-30 minutes depending on traffic. Oxford is a great place to live, and if you pick the area such as Cowley or Headington it can be relatively cheap living with other students.

Thame is a quiet town, there are a few pubs and restaurants. However, by living in Oxford I was able to get the best of both. There are lots of nightclubs and bars with plenty of student nights and loads going on.

DAF Trucks doesn’t have any clubs as such but in the local area there are lots of sport clubs such as, rugby, football and hockey. I am sure you can find something to meet your tastes Oxford.