Marketing Intern Review

Whilst working at IBM there were peaks and troughs in terms of work load, during busy periods I thoroughly enjoyed my internship and found it very insightful and felt like an asset to the company however during quieter periods I felt bored and a hindrance, Although this is only in my specific role.

Working in an European role, I felt appreciated by the wider team as the majority of tasks I undertook we're created specifically for my role. However I feel like if I didn't do the work there would be no loss and there wasn't a sense of urgency with any tasks. I didn't feel essential during my time at IBM as several tasks I did ended up being fruitless.

In terms of support, when you start at IBM you're allocated and EPM (early professional manager) who's sole responsibility is the welfare of the interns. Having several issues throughout the year with my manager, my EPM was the person I contacted in this situations for advise and to intervene when necessary. Having this additional support helped me during times of frustration regarding my role.

For roughly 60% of my time at IBM I'd describe it as quite rather than busy. For many at IBM it seems that their managers are too busy to find work for their intern, specifically if it's a new role and you can feel like a nuisance pestering for work. I had specific tasks to complete on a weekly/monthly basis which accounted to a day or two but through speaking to my EPM my work load increased although I've not felt particularly stretched during my time.

Several of the task I did had no aim and it felt as if they were given to me to pass the time rather than actually contribute. I was given tasks that could benefit the wider team however they weren't consistent and occasionally we're scraped at the last minute. All the tasks I did were non-essential however in some cases did add value to European community.

I've learnt a lot throughout my placement in terms of technical skills and have become comfortable using Excel. Experiencing how a global company functions has been invaluable to me and has allowed me to decide what path I want my future career to take and given me valuable case studies to use in my final year of my degree.

I think the overall organisation of the scheme was poor, you begin your time at IBM attending a 2 day induction event in Portsmouth which allows you to get to grips with "The IBM Way" and mingle with other interns however when starting my role my manager didn't have a structured plan of what work i'd be doing, who i'd be working with etc. which I found very frustrating.

Applying back to the graduate scheme seems like a back up choice for most of the interns. The lure of the high starting salary versus the thought of being sucked back into working at IBM where the majority of employees have worked 15+ years. As I already have the name on my CV, I've applied to the IBM graduate scheme however it wouldn't be my first choice of employer

During our induction we got to do icebreaker sessions and got to know the other interns working at IBM. With 150 interns at the Southbank office it was great to socialise and go out for drinks every Thursday. It was the interns responsibilities to arrange parties for Christmas and leaving and wasn't subsidised by the company.

Living in London is ridiculously expensive with 2/3 of my wage going on rent then paying £130 a month for my oyster card, you can't go into the year expecting to save money. The pay is very good in terms of placement schemes however the £3000 London allowance doesn't cover the living cost variance.