Enterprise have always prided themselves on the responsibility that they give their interns and placement students. Indeed this is one of the reasons that I applied to a placement with Enterprise, and I could tell from the responsibilities of my potential role and how I was treated through the recruitment process that this truly would be the case for my placement year. Eight months in and I have now learnt, first hand more importantly, that interns are also appreciated and respected just as much as any permanent employees. I believe this is what sets Enterprise apart in their summer internship and year-long placement programme.
During my time so far I have had the opportunity to take part in a whole range of fantastic activities, from joining the Mental Health Committee to running assessment centres to find my successor. Another highlight was the chance to attend the National Undergraduate Employability Awards which was a great way to see some of the work that goes on behind the scenes into producing exceptional interns – and also a very fun day and a chance to see London! Throughout my placement, I have been able to meet a variety of successful, driven and inspirational people who looked beyond my title of intern and instead appreciated the work I was doing. A perfect example of this is the time that I met Chrissy Taylor, then the company’s Chief Operating Officer, now their CEO!
As I am sure you know, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is still a proudly owned family business. Set up in 1957 by Jack Taylor, this once small car rental company has now expanded across the world and become a leading global mobility provider. The Taylors continue to be at the heart of everything that Enterprise does, therefore, it was, understandably, a very exciting day when Chrissy came to visit the European headquarters where I’m based in, just outside London.
On the day itself Chrissy took the time to go round the whole of our sizable campus, which was impressive enough, but she also had time for everyone she met. Having realised how approachable she truly is, I decided to capture her visit with a photograph of us together. I have to say, having her one side of me, and Khaled Shahbo (Managing Director of the UK) on the other, was quite a surreal experience. Importantly in no other company would you be able to feel comfortable and respected enough as an intern, to be able to approach the company’s global leaders. The more I think about it the more I believe this example perfectly reflects what sets Enterprise apart. The fact that Chrissy and Khaled thought nothing of taking a bit of time out of their day for me really does show interns are considered just as integral to what Enterprise does as anyone else.
To any potential applicants I’d say if you secure a placement with Enterprise, you’ll never know what you could be doing or who you may meet. Every year Enterprise recruits over 250 summer interns and placement students, and while some positions are available in our European headquarters, most of our roles are based in our network of over 470 branches spread across the whole of the UK – so there’s bound to be a role available close to where you are now. What is certain is that you’ll be given the same training, support and mentoring as all our full-time employees, as well as the same opportunities for promotion.
So if you want the chance to have a placement year as rewarding as mine make sure you check out the year-long industrial placements and summer internships available now.
