Intern Engineer Review

I really enjoyed my time at Jaguar. Manager and the team I was placed in was extremely supportive. This might have been due to the fact that the team was just starting out, and therefore had time on their hands to tell me what I was curious about. Interesting company to work for at the moment given the business context in the automotive market. One day of formal training at the start of the internship, which was instructive.

Had to ask for regular sit-down progress reviews. Manager and other team members were always available to answer my questions when I needed it though, which was very helpful. Once more, I got very lucky with the placement and other fellow interns did not get such support. Guidance was limited, progress was very self-driven.

For the first half of the internship, worked on one project which kept me busy without being excessively so. I asked to take on another project in the second half of my internship, which made me much more busy. I do highly enjoy being very busy though, so it was very welcome. Other fellow interns were given very little work, but did not necessarily ask for it.

This varies highly between what manager and project you are allocated. I was fortunate to have a manager who trusted me and gave me a lot of freedom on the projects I worked on. Project I was working on ended up having a lot of impact and got taken on by a Graduate after I finished the placement. Felt responsibility was not an obstacle.

The work was highly instructive to learn about how stakeholder management is done in industry. Also learnt a range of transferable skills on budgeting and process mapping. Gained more awareness of product launches in an automotive context, quality control, plant automation, factory layout, logistics, HSE, target setting, programme timing and project management.

Very nice atmosphere. People often bring in cake, chat over lunch, discuss their weekends. At time of vehicle launches things can become more tense. Many young graduates in the business so the average age is very low. A lot of the employees enjoy a good laugh, and don't take themselves or their work too seriously.

Initial day of training was helpful, all interns given the same overview of the business, with different line directors coming to speak to the intern cohort. After this though, no further formal training. Manager didn't know I was coming until the day before I arrived but this was not a problem.

Not much investment, but not much required. Training was very much on the job. Other interns from my cohort who needed training were sent to training centres to go on courses that were relevant to their project. Depends on manager and project (if your project requires training, manager will probably allow you to take it!)

On the placement, they have a scheme where a few weeks in they ask you whether you would like to be considered for a job. If you answer yes, you will be asked to auto-review your performance by the end of the placement. Your manager will also submit a review of your work. I was not interested in pursuing a graduate role, but it seemed fairly easy to get an offer if you wanted one!

Very cheap: this is one of the main draws of not conducting a placement in London. Rent, food, going out, gym memberships all very cheap. This is key, as you end up treating yourself to more than you would if working in London. You can live very well of the placement salary and save quite a bit of money to spend later on!