Research Funding Intern Review
by Cancer Research UK
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
4.6
-
The Company
4.2
-
The Culture
3.4
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
I thoroughly enjoyed my internship in a fantastic team funding really interesting science.
100% - and I was reminded of this on a daily basis which was lovely!
My managers were very much open to providing me with support when needed and we had regular 1-2-1's each week to discuss my personal development.
Some days were a lot busier than others but this is all up to how proactive you like to be - I took up extra things during my time but I like being busy!
I was given responsibility from pretty much the first week. This ranged from more administrative tasks through to trying out some of the work my managers do on a regular basis i.e. drafting minutes after panel meetings. I was very lucky to have managers who pushed me to do tasks outside of my comfort zone like chairing meetings, which I wouldn't have volunteered to do otherwise.
I have learnt a lot of useful, general skills i.e. Microsoft office, developing communications and organising events which I am sure will be useful for any future career I wish to pursue.
The Company
I think it depends which part of the building you are in/which team you are in. My team were fun and we had regular cake breaks but I can imagine other teams are not as sociable with one another.
Very well organised from day 1 (induction). I did start a week after everyone else and did not receive my email before then which meant I felt quite behind when I started. Apart from that, everything was great!
Lots of opportunities - you just need to be proactive! I attended workshops run by HR for the whole organisation and also a really useful CV/application and also presentation session specifically for interns.
Working from home
I have managed to secure a job with CRUK and will be starting this straight after my internship ends which is great!
The Culture
All the interns went for drinks each week which was a nice way to catch up/meet interns who don't work near you.
It's London, so can be expensive although being from London, I am quite used to this. Angel is brilliant for socialising after work - lots of nice bars/restaurants and one stop from Old Street and Kings Cross which is ideal!
Great bars around Angel and nearby Kings Cross and Old Street.
Lots of volunteering opportunities but these tended to be 'first come first serve' and if you didn't know the intern/team running the event, you tended to find out too late...
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
London
December 2015
