Finance Industrial Placement Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my placement. I have gained an insight into many different roles within Finance and had the opportuinty to gain hands on experience in four different key areas of finance throughout my 13 months at PSA Peugeot Citroen. I have found this highly benefical and enjoyable. I have been given a high level of responsiblity in my roles, especially my role wihin Pricing which has allowed me to truly test myself. I have achieved things I did not think I was capable of achieving which has added to my enjoyment.

I have felt highly valued by my collegues as I have been given full time roles throughout my placement therefore my contibution has been significant. I have felt completely supported and highly encouraged right throughout my placement. I found that during tough times when I was struggling I was instantly supported by my managers and those around me. I did find that the dynamics in the departments I worked in differed greatly and it did take me a little while to adjust in some areas however everyone is very welcoming and willing to help where necessary.

I was felt supported right throughout my placement. I found my placement managers were approachable whenever I needed to speak to them. I felt as valued as the other members of the team. Any questions I had were responded to very promptly. I found that my managers had different management styles in the different departments, some were more approachable than others however I did continuously recieve all of the help and support that I needed.

How busy I was depended on the department I was in. My first placement was very busy at the end of the month but then very quiet at the beginning. The work load increased as the month progressed. My second placement seemed much quieter and I did find myself with some free time however, this could have been due to a comparison to my first placement where I had learned to work more efficiently and so I was making better use of my time. During my third placement I was continually very busy which I really enjoyed. In my final placement I always had work to do however there were some times where I was very busy, however this role was very rewarding when I found myself making a lot of progress and managing the work load successfully. I think the variation of work loads within my roles has been very useful in teaching me how to manage my time effectively.

From the very beginning of my placement I was given a lot of responsibilities. I have continuously filled the position of a full time employee in various roles and I have been expected to fully carry out these roles. I have felt very stressed and under a lot of pressure at times however this has been really rewarding. It has allowed me to achieve things I did not think I was capable of achieving. It has also allowed me to gain a better understanding of what different roles entail.

The training gained within my role has allowed me to develop my excel skills as a lot of work is carried out in excel. I have delevoped many key skills during my placement including my time management, presenting and self management skills which will help me when I return to university. We recieved 3 external and 1 internal training sessions, all of which were highly benefical to me. However, I was quite surprised by how little I used what I have learned at university.

Generally the atmosphere of the office was very positive however my placement ran throughout a time of organisational change which did result in some fluctuations in the atmosphere. However under the circumstances this is understandable. There were many events held at the office including a quiz night, Children in Need Event, BBQs and many casual clothes which provided a positive and enjoyable atmosphere. There are a lot of trainees including apprentices, IPs, graduates and many french students which provides a strong network for socialisng both inside and outside of the office. This strongly influenced the atmosphere in the office for me, especially during lunch times and the events.

I found my placement was very well organised escpecially during the organisational changes. There were some changes made to the scheme as a result of the changes however we were made aware of these changes.

We had 3 external and 1 internal training session which I found highly beneficial and will use the skills that I have learned when I return to university. As I enjoyed them so much I would have liked to have recieved more, simply due to how enjoyable I found them. However due to the roles I fulfilled fully appreciate that there was not enough time for further training. I am extremely grateful for the sessions that we did recieve

Furture employment prospects are very appealing at PSA Peugeot Citroen. They aim to recruit available graduate positions from their IPs. We were told to treat our placement as a year long interview for a graduate position which makes this placement scheme very appealing.

There was a very good social scene at PSA Peugeot Citroen. There are a lot of trainees within the company including apprentices, IPs, graduates and other french students. As a result of this there was always social activities going on over the weekends. We had socials organised through work although we independently organised a lot more.

The cost of living in Coventry is relatively low compared to other areas. I shared a house with 6 other IPs under 3 miles from the office which worked really well both socially and financially. Coventry is very convenient for travel networks including trains to London,Birmingham and Leamington. Birmingham airport is also very easy to get to from Coventry.

Coventry night life was good however I prefered to go out in Leamington which was easy to do as there was so many of us in the house.

I used the gym at work very regularly which was very good value for money. I also joing PureGym in Coventry which was very useful on weekends. There are a lot of bars and restaurants in Coventry city centre which provide a wide variety of options. There are cinemas, bowling, mini golf, theatres and many other things to do in the area.