Motorsport Engineering placement advice
Discussion
Hey guys, not sure if this is in the right section, but basically i'm about to start the second year of my masters in Motorsport Engineering, next year is my placement year and I was looking for some advice as to what kind of companies I should go for, ideally I would love to work for Lotus in the future but getting a placement there is looking unlikely, next on the list was (as there are quite a few ex-Lotus guys there) however with their possible entry into F1 i'm sure the demand for them is going to shoot up, I was hoping some of the guys on PH who are part of teams might be able to help out with some suggestions.
Also can anyone suggest any sort of experience I could gain this year to make my placement application stand out? I know people say just go along to race meetings and say you're willing to help out but which race meetings would I actually be able to do that at, if anyone here knows of anybody that would be willing to take me on for that sort of work i'd really appreciate it.
Also can anyone suggest any sort of experience I could gain this year to make my placement application stand out? I know people say just go along to race meetings and say you're willing to help out but which race meetings would I actually be able to do that at, if anyone here knows of anybody that would be willing to take me on for that sort of work i'd really appreciate it.
http://www.williamsf1.com/corporate/recruitment/ - scroll down a bit
Edited by acf8181 on Wednesday 9th September 18:15
Depends what area you are interested in going into really, and as you are just starting your 2nd year you may not know exactly yet, but you probably don't need to do an F1 placement to get into F1, obviously it helps if you can build links there, but if for example you preferred the powertrain side of things then you could still get very good experience (not to mention probably treated better) at an automotive consultancy. Ricardo, Cosworth, Mahle Powertrain etc. all take on placement students at some point. If you prefer Chassis stuff then people like Lola, Zytek etc. are probably worth a try. I have a friend who has just finished a placement in vehicle dynamics at JLR and he appears to have gained a lot of very useful experience. In all I would go for one where you feel you will get the opportunity to do the widest amount of stuff in an area you like.
JayPee said:
Depends what area you are interested in going into really, and as you are just starting your 2nd year you may not know exactly yet, but you probably don't need to do an F1 placement to get into F1, obviously it helps if you can build links there, but if for example you preferred the powertrain side of things then you could still get very good experience (not to mention probably treated better) at an automotive consultancy. Ricardo, Cosworth, Mahle Powertrain etc. all take on placement students at some point. If you prefer Chassis stuff then people like Lola, Zytek etc. are probably worth a try. I have a friend who has just finished a placement in vehicle dynamics at JLR and he appears to have gained a lot of very useful experience. In all I would go for one where you feel you will get the opportunity to do the widest amount of stuff in an area you like.
I would be looking to get into the chassis/suspension side of things if I had to choose, I have gotten in contact with Lola and Zytek already but they had nothing available at the time, i'll get in touch with them again though, can't do any harm. Thanks for your responses guys, I really appreciate them.I have been in your shoes a long time ago and got a lucky break from someone that took a chance with me. That break has got me into no end of trouble over the years and I still thank my lucky stars. In return over the years I tried to do the same when I could and hopefully have given a good number of guys in your position the lucky break they needed.
All I can say is try, try and try again and then some more, eventually your letter will land on the right persons desk at the right time. You make your own luck by increasing your chances the more you try.
I would suggest you make a list of all the companies/teams you think would be able to use your skills and don't set your sights too low, start at the top and work down. Then phone up to find out who the different people are that are responsible for the departments you think you would like to work in, get the correct spelling of their name and their job title and the write a well constructed letter with a maximum 2 page CV attached.
Writing a letter may appear old fashioned in this modern age of email but a letter will get noticed much more than one random email in a sea of a 100 that your potential future boss will get each day.
After a week I would then follow up the letter with a phone call and if no luck then say would you mind if I phoned you back in 3 months time to see if your staff requirements have changed. Also while you have them on the phone pick their brains to see if they can suggest anywhere thet might be looking for someone like yourself.
You may be lucky and find with the recently introduced cost cutting measures a summer student or work experienced student might just be what they are looking for.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
All I can say is try, try and try again and then some more, eventually your letter will land on the right persons desk at the right time. You make your own luck by increasing your chances the more you try.
I would suggest you make a list of all the companies/teams you think would be able to use your skills and don't set your sights too low, start at the top and work down. Then phone up to find out who the different people are that are responsible for the departments you think you would like to work in, get the correct spelling of their name and their job title and the write a well constructed letter with a maximum 2 page CV attached.
Writing a letter may appear old fashioned in this modern age of email but a letter will get noticed much more than one random email in a sea of a 100 that your potential future boss will get each day.
After a week I would then follow up the letter with a phone call and if no luck then say would you mind if I phoned you back in 3 months time to see if your staff requirements have changed. Also while you have them on the phone pick their brains to see if they can suggest anywhere thet might be looking for someone like yourself.
You may be lucky and find with the recently introduced cost cutting measures a summer student or work experienced student might just be what they are looking for.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
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