HR Assistant (Central - Luton) Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my work placement and received a lot of support from my functional department as well as the company as a whole, There has been plenty of opportunity for professional development, which has allowed me to understand myself and preferences academically.

My colleagues made me feel very comfortable and valued as an employee, especially because my job role was very heavily weighted with responsibility and required me to contribute to senior levels of management and directors, making my experience very worthwhile.

The support given by my line manager was very good - although we didn't have weekly meetings as such, we sat in very close proximity to each other meaning that I could ask her anything at any time.

There was never a day when I would be sitting doing nothing - if I had managed to complete all of the work that I felt was necessary at a particular time, my manager was always more than willing to hand some over and explain what to do to develop my knowledge on other aspects of HR.

I was given an incredible amount of responsibility. My job role was very diverse and each area of it had consequences higher up in management or elsewhere in the business. The information that I handled was always confidential meaning that my duty was greater.

The skills I have developed are both personal and professional. Firstly, working in a company headquarters was a new experience and I have learnt a lot during my year which has consequently helped me choose my modules for my final year at university. I have a good foundation of knowledge of HR at an automotive company thanks to my year at Vauxhall.

My office was a particularly lively office, with a lot of support from everybody. There was never a dull moment in the office, and everyone was very helpful and welcome - particularly towards undergraduates. There was a range of ages and seniority in the department which increases ability to speak to different people on a different levels.

The undergraduate placement scheme at Vauxhall is incredibly well organsied and managed. Before the placement year, there was always someone who you could contact in case you had any questions - this then led into the two day Open Induction days allowing you to meet everyone that you would be working with and possibly living with. And then from the start of the placement, because the scheme has been running for so long, there is never anything that hasn't been encountered before - making the whole scheme appear seamless.

During our first few months of worknig for Vauxhall, all undergraduates undertook a series of training events such as presentation, Excel and Safe Driver. As the months went on, there was more opportunity to show an interest in other training events specific to your department and responsibilities or simply your interests, such as interview training.

Unfortunately there is not a graduate scheme that is set up currently - although this is being looked into. The future employment prospects aren't too high - they depend on your performance through the placement year and the availability of any graduate roles when you finish university. But there are only a very small handful of individuals that are taken by each year.

There was a very good social scene amongst any fellow placement students - with there being around 70 undergraduates in the South, we all live in groups together and there are always social events going on, particularly at weekends.

Being on the outskirts of London, the cost of living and socialising didn't reach as high peak as in Central London. The price of my house per month was average compared to what I was used to in the Midlands and socialising wasn't too high. With earning on a monthly basis as well, it all helps!

I wasn't a particularly huge fan of the nightlife in Luton, however it was only a short distance to Watford or London and so this was pretty handy for when there was a night to be celebrated.

There were lots of opportunities particularly during the handover weeks - there were social events that occured each night helping you to get to know all of the other undergraduates that you're working with. I also got invited to several talks about employment HR laws outside of work - free of charge.