Freddie Rowley is a final year BA Management student. She completed her year in industry at BMW in a paid role as an Aftersales Marketing Assistant at their Financial Services head office in Farnborough, Hampshire. During the placement, she rented a house with 4 other students on the placement scheme. In this interview, Freddie discusses the process of finding a placement and how she found her time at BMW in the hope of giving you insight on what a year in industry is like.

How did you find the process of finding a placement?

The process of finding a placement is challenging, especially with the amount of time each application takes and even more so if applications such as these are something you have never done before. However, once you have found a placement and been offered the role, it is extremely rewarding.

What did your role entail?

My role entailed a variety of elements, from admin tasks such as the finance system, SAP and weekly bulletins to being involved in national campaigns and working alongside the marketing agencies on photo shoots and radio recordings. The role was perfect to see different perspectives on marketing, including retailer marketing and digital marketing.

What were the best bits?

The best bits for me were being involved in the marketing campaign process and then seeing the campaign live, whether this be on digital out of home advertising or as a Facebook advert. I also enjoyed working at events such as the BMW PGA Championship and Company Car in Action as it was nice to spend some time outside of the office, interacting with BMW customers and fans.

Does the company consider offering placement students a graduate job?

There is a competitive scheme called Speed Up. The number of places varies each year. This year 6 of the 24 placement students were offered a place.

What has the money you earned during your placement allowed you to do?

Due to fairly high rent and bills, it was hard to save a large amount of money. However, I did have enough money to treat myself a few times and have a holiday during my placement year.

And finally, what would you say is the most valuable thing you’ve gained from your placement?

It helped me realise what future career I would be interested in. I now know I would like to continue working in the automotive industry, and if possible in a marketing department role similar to the one I was in at BMW. I would also say my communication skills have improved through interacting with a variety of people, from fellow students and managers to customers and agencies.

Hollie Tansey