I have always thought the word 'vacation' to be paradoxical in definition. Any student from Oxford and Cambridge can testify to the fact that vacations are often as busy as term-time, and with the intensive workload making paid work almost impossible to fit in during the eight week term, most students find that working in vacations is a financial necessity. This is how it has always been for me.

Between each term in my first year and the summer of the second year, I worked through an agency for a large computer manufacturer. The work here was varied and became progressively interesting but, whilst the experience was invaluable, there was no sense of real responsibility. Highlights of the work included liasing with the Scottish Parliament Procurement Office and the Department of Education and Employment, and undertaking fact-finding projects into payment type and market competitors. Although I was often permitted to work independently, enterprise and initiative was discouraged. And, unlike an internship, there was little possibility of a permanent position after university, nor was there a structure in place to accommodate new graduates looking for a career path.

With this in mind, I began to consider alternative employment for the vacation between my second and final year. Limiting factors included a reduced income (as I could work as much overtime as I wanted in agency work) and accommodation expenses if I worked away from home. In addition, I required facilities and time to research my dissertation. I was fortunate, therefore, in being encouraged to apply for the Boots Summer Placement Scheme at the head office in Nottingham. The salary was very reasonable, accommodation was provided free of charge at Nottingham Trent Halls of Residence, and Nottingham also boasts excellent academic facilities to enable research to be undertaken. Students are considered from all academic years in: Retail Management, Logistics, Marketing, IS Consultancy, Finance, Science & Engineering, Personnel, and Telecommunications. I applied for the Finance discipline. The application process was much more difficult than I anticipated. As the company will potentially offer each recruit a full-time position after university, the process is as rigorous as graduate recruitment and, in fact, seemed more difficult by virtue of the fact that fewer people are accepted onto the Summer Placement Scheme. Although the prospect of written tests and two interview rounds (with the latter lasting a full day) seemed daunting, it proved to be excellent experience when applying for future positions. On completing the process, I was not prepared to turn down the offer of an internship!

The eight-week placement was divided between project work, development of the skills I lacked, and training. The placement was not disappointing. I was given responsibility that I had not been given in my previous employment. I was invited to review product profitability and to consider where costs had increased since the last financial year - work that is vital to a company such as Boots if it is to remain competitive. In addition to giving several presentations to senior management, I was required to interpret a large amount of data and produce numerous reports highlighting my findings. Some of the research for these reports required working closely with product teams. This is where the training proved invaluable in terms of gaining an understanding of team dynamics, and eliciting the information required in a short space of time. Through the team-building day, based both in the on-site conference rooms and at the National Watersports Centre (!), and the two-day summer conference, I developed key skills in teamwork, presentations and interviewing; experience I do not feel I could have gained without being an intern. I was also invited to sit in on and participate in a number of important business meetings. Perhaps the most important aspect of the placement was in the feedback I received. The formal reviews of my work enabled me to focus on my strengths and weaknesses and build on them accordingly.

It was not 'all work and no play' however. Because accommodation is provided, all the placement students lived in one complex and a social network was built up around this. For students who wished to do academic work, Nottingham University libraries were well equipped for research purposes and were very amenable. Because the internship does not require long hours (a Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm day was acceptable), academic work need not suffer.

At the end of the placement, each person may be considered for a more permanent position, giving you the security to enter your final year without the worry of life beyond university. After eight weeks, you are certainly given a taster of 'real' work, and the graduate recruitment programme you can expect upon joining the Company.