Finance Placement Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Network Rail and would recommend it to other students looking to do a year in industry,

From the start of my placement I was made to feel welcome and was treated like part of the team and not a placement student.

My supervisor and manager were extremely supportive and were keen to involve me in tasks they thought would not only benefit the company but also my personal development and learning. If my supervisor wasnt around, everyone else within the team was happy to help in any way they could.

This varied- I never found myself bored with nothing to do but some days were quieter than others. However, this allowed me to catch up on other things e.g. uni work, paperwork etc.. There were also some days were I had more to do and had to stay later than usual to finish it due to deadlines and time pressures.

I would say that I was given quite a lot of responsibility but my supervisor would always help out if needed.

I think the skills I have developed over the year will definitely assist me in my future career as they can be transferred to any workplace e.g. using excel, outlook, communicating proffessionally, organisation etc.. Also, when returning to University, i will be able to link some of the theory I will study to real life situations within a business.

The office atmosphere was generally relaxed and sociable as it was all open plan.

As i was the first intern within this department, I wasnt given a proper remit when i started. However, that gave me more freedom and allowed me to choose which projects and tasks I would like to get involved with. after the first couple of months I found myself in more a role with defined responsibilities

I wasnt put on any formal training courses however I was given inhouse training how to use computer systems for reporting.

I would definitely return back to Network Rail after graduating. There are lots of opportunities in a range of functions and good links with the graduate scheme.

There were a few socials organised over the year but it was difficult to arrange a time when everyone was free as the nature of the business meant that we were often out of the office at different times and half of the placement students were based in Manchester and half Birmingham.

I find Manchester pretty cheap for living and socialsing. Obvioulsy this depends where you live and what standard but there are many flats in the city centre and close to the office for a low rate.

Northern Quarter is just a few minutes walk with lots of quirky bars and restaurants which is great for socialising after work. There are also lots of bars and clubs in the centre/Deansgate area too.

There were lots of volunteering opportunities which arose over my year here. NR allow 5 days per year to volunteer and its also a good team building day! I wasnt involved with many other activities outside of work but there was the odd social event for leaving do's, birthdays etc..