Undergraduate Summer Intern Review

I enjoyed the work environment and exposure to the real working world. However, my role did not fit my initial requests, so I found it quite dull at times. I was given a personal project to complete which was more engaging and gave me a lot of independence. From that, I learnt a lot about the company and developed a multitude of skills.

I worked in teams regularly and they made an effort to include me and make me feel like a true team member. I received praise and fair criticism on my work which was very useful. Overall, I felt well valued and fitted in quite quickly. I got lots of requests to return next year, which was very touching!

I had weekly one to one meetings with my manager, where we discussed my progress and any problems I had encountered. These were really useful and provided me with clear objectives for the week, and gave me methods for improving my work. For general day to day guidance, I asked my supervisor who was very helpful and would always be quick to reply and help me.

Depended on the day. Some days I had barely any work to do and was given no direction/instructions on how to fill the time. Other days, I had too much work and had to skip lunch and stay later to complete it on time. In general, it was not well balanced.

I believe I was given a fair amount of responsibility, and as it grew over the 12 weeks, it was a nice progression. I had my own personal project, where I created a data storage site for the architecture team I was part of. The site is now being used by around 50 people on a daily basis.

I did not gain any technical knowledge that can be used in my degree. However, I developed a range of skills that will prove useful in my studies. My team-working skills improved, as I was regularly involved in group tasks. From my personal project, I showed initiative and gained confidence and leadership skills. By balancing my daily tasks and prioritising them, I developed time management skills.

The atmosphere in the office was quite upbeat. Everyone was really friendly and would stop to chat. The offices sometimes got crowded and as you weren't given a specific personal desk, sometimes it was hard to find a space to work. There were lockers available for storing your personal belongings. Each office had a kitchen, equipped with sinks, fridges and microwaves, which was good for lunchtimes.

I was given very little information on placement prior to me starting. I was given no information on my location, department and starting dates/times, until 1 month before starting, which I feel is really bad. It made me quite uneasy. The allocation of departments is also handled badly, I wanted a technical engineering role, and was given a project management position, with no option of switching.

I felt like my supervisor and manager put a lot of time into explaining and teaching me different things that were needed for my role. However, apart from this, there was no other training or development activities. (For my job role, none were required.) I believe courses etc are only available for year long placements.

I enjoyed working for Jaguar Land Rover as I like the industry. However, I didn't enjoy my role as it wasn't very technical. I would only consider applying there again if I could choose my role before accepting the offer. Moreover, the locations of the offices are quite rural and you really need to have a car to be able to travel to them. As I relied on public transport, it was hard getting to work, so I would only reapply if I had a car.

I lived at home during the period of internship. However, most interns lived together in university halls. They integrated into lots of groups and as I wasn't living there, I found really hard to meet other interns. There weren't any in my team, so apart from the first day social event, I had no other interaction with interns. I feel the company should take more effort in organising events for interns.

I lived at home with my parents in Birmingham during the placement, therefore I can't really comment on the cost of living. Socialising in Birmingham, however, in general, is very affordable. As there's lots to do, you can really spend as much as you choose-you have so options, so can cater to your budget!

I was in Gaydon, which is very rural. It takes about 2 hours to get to Birmingham where the nightlife is great-there are loads of nightclubs, bars and pubs. However, it's too far away and makes travelling back quite hard. There are some nightclubs in Coventry which was only 20 minutes away but the nightlife is limited.

Nothing for interns specifically-there was a graduate network, which we were allowed to join. However, since no other interns joined, I didn't bother. The network organised mainly sport events and occasional social ones. I was quite disappointed by this as it would have been nice to meet more people in the company and feel more involved.