Future Pricing Analyst Review

I really enjoyed my placement. We are given important work to undertake throughout the year, and we are really crucial to the organisation. There is good exposure to different areas of the business and a lot of oportunity to get involved in different activities, you're not just stuck in one role within your department.

I felt very valued by my colleagues. There was a lot of change within my team during the year I was there, and as a result I became a key knowledge source. Managers and colleagues make sure you to show gratitude when you help out and give you the acknowledgment that you deserve.

There is a great support system in place at Vauxhall. Everyone is friendly, the managers are really approachable when you have problems and there is a mentor system in place for you to use if you have any problems (work related or personal) which you can use if you are uncomfortable talking to your manager.

In my role I was kept really busy throughout most of the year, but with some particularly busy periods around December and May. There was always something for me to be doing, but also plenty of opportunity to pick up new tasks and integrate them to my job role if I was beginning to struggle to find work.

During my placement I was given a lot of responsibility. Working in pricing, it is crucial that we make all the right decisions to beneift the company in the future. As my role was new this year, I was also given the opportunity to pick up a lot of new task and responsibilities which were previously held by a full time employee, meaning that they really value the work I was doing and it was crucial to the running of our department.

I came in to this year with what I thought was a good understanding of Excel, but I have learnt so much this year on this program as well as other Office programs that will massively benefit me for my final year of study and going forward in to a graduate job.

Everyone in our office is lovely and very friendly. There is a good atmosphere, everyone is always up for a laugh and is there to cheer you up on a bad day. Whether its other undergraduates, full time employees or even the management team - there is always someone to talk to and help you out when you need a hand.

There is so much support for undergraduates at Vauxhall. From the beginning with open days in June to get you introduced to your team and the other undergradutes, providing help finding housing, a great social schedule, but also a great level of work and support within the office when you start and throughout the year and the opportuinity to see how different areas of the company works. The role of undergraduates within the company is acknowledged throughout, we're not looked down on at all.

There is a lot of different training opportunities in the placement scheme, some open to all undergraduates and others more department specific which were really useful but a lot of training in my department was more learnt on the job.

There is no defined graduate scheme but a lot of opportunity to come back if you make an impression.

Due to the amount of undergraduates at Vauxhall there is a great social scene and a lot of different places to go out and spend time together. Harpenden is jsut down the road with a great selection of bars and restaurants and London is not too far away (about 30 minutes by train). There are also nights out planned throughout the year with the whole department, everyone likes to gete involved not just the undergraduates.

Luton is fairly cheap. I paid just under £300 a month for rent in my house, which was kept in really good condition and in a nice area. Theres a lot of different things to do and obviously prices vary but cheap nights out can certainly be had.

Luton itself is not great for nightlife but in the surrounding area - Harpenden, St Albans, Watford, London, there is plenty of opportunity and variety to go out.

Throughout the year there was a lot of non work based activities such as CSR days working in the community, department quizzes and even free tickets to England games at Wembley.