HR Assistant Toddington Warehouse Review

I really enjoyed my placement year with Vauxhall - I learnt a lot about the HR department and was very well fitted to my role at Toddington Warehouse.

I felt very valued as a member of the HR team at Vauxhall - at the Warehouse, there is only a small HR team on site all the time, meaning that I was given a lot of responsibility and interaction with the shop floor staff.

I had weekly meetings with my manager meaning that she could support me in areas where I needed. She gave me brilliant advice and guidance on work issues as well as personal career paths.

There was always something to do in my role. It was very diverse and if there wasn't anything imminent to address, I had a lot of flexibility in improving systems or processes as I saw fit.

I was given a lot of responsibility on a daily basis - interaction with all levels of management and staff and dealing with highly confidential information. There were occasions when I was left in the office on my own for a period of time, and so encouraging me to time manage and prioritise my responsibilities.

I learnt a lot throughout my placement year, particularly communication and time management skills. This will be especially useful in my final year degree when I will have a lot of module coursework/revision to balance.

Very positive working environment, great working relationships with everyone in the Warehouse who were very supportive of new undergraduates starting their placement year, very friendly ethos in the whole organisation.

Very well organised from day one - my manager invited me to go on a tour of the Warehouse before my start date, I was in constant contact with the Undergraduate Recruitment coordinator in case I had any questions, and housing support was incredible.

I was involved in Excel, Presentation and Safe Driver Training as well as interview training which was useful for the assessment centres I became involved in. I also attended several off-site courses and talks which developed my understanding of the industry.

Quite appealing - although there isn't a graduate scheme as such, a possible return after graduation has been mentioned several times. The organisation is very keen to bring back individuals, it just depends on availability.

Definitely! There was almost always an event going on at the weekend which most undergraduates went along to. Living with other undergraduates also helped socially because it was like university continued, and most people were in close proximity.

Cost of living wasn't too extortionate - the Mall has the same shops that everyone is used to and a very wide variety. Not too many pubs and clubs in the area however.

There weren't too many pubs and clubs in Luton, however Watford and London aren't far on the train at all and are much better nights out!

Yes, I was invited to attend quite a few external presentations and talks. I also showed an interest in the Sales department and a visit to a Retailer was organised for me so that I could go and visit this and see if my interest grew.