Engineering Intern Review

I really enjoyed getting involved with the company and the Engineering department. I felt part of a great company and that my contribution was useful in both the department and the factory as a whole. The work I was given was stimulating and challenging and for the most part, kept me busy.

I would say that I did, in general, feel valued by my colleagues. If I had a query or problem, I felt comfortable asking a colleague for help. I was made to feel like my work was also valued. At times, whenever I was helping as part of a team project, I did not feel like I was given much responsibility.

The support and guidance given to me by my managers was excellent. I was given project help and also objectives and competencies to work on in order to make me a better employee. My line manager was always willing to sit down to assist me and to keep herself up to date with my progress.

I would not say that I was busy every day at work. There was usually something for me to do although if my project came to a halt/I was waiting on a meeting with someone, I felt that I had a lack of other work to do. Other projects/tasks gave me very little work and I did not feel challenged.

On my main wrapping project, I felt like I had plenty of responsibility and that my contribution was very useful. The direction and outcomes of my project was my responsibility and I was given suitable guidance when appropriate. As previously mentioned, when working with other teams, I didn’t feel like I had enough responsibility.

I do not feel like the skills I developed and the training I received will be particularly helpful in terms of my degree. However, I am very confident that my learnings from my placement will be extensively useful for future jobs and job applications. Mars gave me excellent guidance on working on competencies and how to improve my skills.

The general atmosphere in the office was very positive and friendly. I really enjoyed the open plan set up and being able to reach anyone in the office easily. All Associates appeared hard working yet approachable with an atmosphere that felt like everyone enjoyed coming to work and the role that they had.

Overall, the placement was pretty well organised. I was given an interesting project and a helpful line manager. One negative would be how late the placement was confirmed and set up. In addition, for much of my time with Mars, the senior management seemed unsure of the assessment process worked at the end of the internship.

The company, through my line manager, invested plenty of time helping me to work on specific competencies. Moreover, I was given lots of opportunity to get a good feeling for the company and a good overview of different departments. My mentor was also helpful as a sounding board and someone to offer advice.

Job prospects and ‘the end-of-internship’ were unknown at the start of the placement and this was very unhelpful and appeared quite unprofessional. At the end of the 12 weeks, we were put through an Assessment Day and although I could understand why we were asked to do this, it seemed a shame that department could not decide, after 12 weeks of work, whether I would be suitable for the graduate role. I was not offered a place on the Engineering Development Programme.

The social scene was very limited and I was disappointed by this. The only opportunity to socialise outside the workplace was the annual Team Day which was great fun. Regular work drinks were never a feature at Mars.

Living and socialising was quite expensive in the area. It was a shame that Mars did not offer any help with finding accommodation and that their low wages did not do anything to compensate for the high cost of living for me, as I had to re-locate for the summer.

The nightlife in the area was unknown to me but certainly did not have a good reputation.

As an Intern, we were viewed as contractors which meant that activities outside of work were limited for us. Aside from that, there were few activities which seemed like opportunities for Interns to be involved in. The Team Day was one exception to this and was very enjoyable.