As written by our eldest daughter who is an intern with a multi-billion dollar business in Nottingham, England....absolutely fascinating....
Updates on my job at RR:
1. I have also become a part time overdue debt collector on behalf of the company. I know which airlines owe how much and how much has not been paid. Which airlines are doing well, and which are not.
2. I got kudos from one of the staff for doing what he thought was a 'good job' on my extraction of the late payment options for Gulf Air.
3. I am working with the other interns on a Serviceable Used Material Project. Seeking ways to maximise RR's use of these SUM. I volunteered to be in charge of sorting the contractual wording and in my team are 3 white guys from stellar UK unis. One is from Cambridge. All think highly about themselves. They are intelligent but lack humility.
4. So I am the 'voluntary leader' because what they do in the meeting is go off on a tangent talking bout unrelated things. if I don't provide structure, meeting will be unfruitful.
5. Interns are extremely competitive and desperate to get a job offer.
6. Next week I have something called 'Home Week' which is basically 'don't do any real work in the name of team bonding' week. On Monday we're going to have team bonding activities at a nearby canteen. On Tuesday, we'll be visiting a factory for 3 hours and I have to come in casual clothes. These activities take priority over work, haha. I like Home Week.
7. I had a team lunch at an Indian restaurant yesterday. It was organised by one of my colleagues. Interesting to observe this side of British life. These people are doing well so they can afford things like hiring cleaners, buying houses etc.
8. Colleagues told me what they enjoy about travelling to see clients is the food as food is at company's expense. So can eat good food overseas.
9. Since I am intern with not very many things to do, I finish work quite fast. Plus point and makes me look good but then again, it is mundane work.
10. Western working culture is very different Eastern Working culture. Asking good questions here is a sign of intelligence, so people are encouraged to ask questions. It is better to ask questions and be heard than to be quiet and not be noticed. Also English people are sports crazy. Everyone is into a sport. So if people ask me what sport do I play? I say 'Badminton' although it's been years since I last picked up a racquet. Holidays take precedence over work here. Everyone is always going off on holiday. No one will penalise you for it.
11. It is also very important to take initiative. If you wait around waiting to be told what to do, then RR would not have hired you in the first place. I find myself taking initiative more than I ever have. I arrange meetings with strangers and people I don't know really well just to ask questions bout what they do. It is also very important to speak up. In the East, we tend to defer to others. Not so in the West, they have never heard of deference. People are happy to give you their time, all you have to do is ask nicely.
12. You can even talk to the Commercial Director. She likes holding sessions with us interns and talking to us about our experience so far. She reports directly to the head of Civil Aerospace and holds a lot of sway, being the head of everything. You can always arrange lunch breaks with her etc just to gain influential connections. There aren't a lot of barriers between you and the executives in RR.
More to come....
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