As a student on summer break from university, it can be hard to find employment that is rewarding, has a strong focus on training and development and is flexible enough to allow time with friends and family. The Internship at Accommodation Windsor gave me all these benefits and more. The office is based just off Windsor High Street and the properties are all based in Windsor & Eton. It is this focus on the local area that allows the company to really specialize and help to train me with a hands-on approach. With the majority of properties a short walk away from the office this is a huge benefit to me as I’m not yet driving.
Coming into this internship I had hoped to gain skills in dealing with administrative functions and getting some practical experience in an office, as well as get first-hand insight into how property companies operate. I haven’t had to make one cup of tea yet and instead have been given jobs to assign keys, help manage arrivals and perform a variety of daily tasks that require me to use a range of skills. The jobs are challenging without being impossible, structured without being monotonous and most of all I genuinely feel a part of the team after just my first few shifts.
I’ve been able to visit a few properties that the company manages as well as Alma House Guest House that the company also owns and understand the set-up of a small business. The company believes in all staff understanding the whole process and for this reason I travelled with the Housekeeping team to clean a property in Eton which took me back to my days at primary school where we used to visit the college and its facilities. These nostalgic thoughts did help me tremendously in passing the time between cleaning the toilet bowl and hoovering the floor. Don’t tell my mum though, or she might make me start cleaning more regularly at home!
I have also been tasked with researching products for use in all of Accommodation Windsor’s 60 properties – from coffee machines to clock radio alarms. I have presented my finding to the team and I’m actively involved in giving feedback on usage (especially the coffee machine!) The company is also looking at ways to be more environmentally friendly and I’m currently working on finding UK suppliers who provide eco-friendly products. My university skills are invaluable in finding, sorting through and presenting information to the Management team who have so far been really impressed with my input.
Internships can simply be a gateway to future employment, but here I have enjoyed the internship in its own right. The team are good fun but I am also learning when it is the right time to stop joking and get my head down with any work that comes my way – an invaluable skill for business.
Overall I would highly recommend the internship programme here at Accommodation Windsor Limited. An enjoyable and very useful internship in its own right, with a set up that is very organised, it has been an excellent peek behind the curtain into the post-university world for me and what the world of office work would be like.
The only problem I have now is trying to remember not to answer my mobile “Good afternoon, Accommodation Windsor. How can I help?”
