Complementary Worker Review

I enjoyed it a lot as I learned a large amount of practical skills which a university would not be able to provide. Additionally, I have a better understanding on how a pharmaceutical company works and how individual groups contribute into a larger aim or target of the whole company.

As the time progressed and I manage to prove my capabilities during various occasions. This resulted in the staff showing trust in me to carry out work. This is a great feeling as it made me more confident in my capabilities of helping a team to carry out a task given.

The moment I had a problem or an issue I needed help with my supervisor would make time so he can help me sort it out. This not only applied for issues I had with work but also with my university. He helped me decide which units i should choose in university and guided me on how to write well structured essays. I never felt lost throughout my whole placement.

There was a perfect balance between practical and computer work. On days I would spend all my time in the lab and sometimes I needed to work overtime. On other days, I would spend the whole day in the office analysing the data from the experiments I did. And occasionally, I would do an experiment and analyse the data on the same day.

At the start of the placement I had little responsibility. However as time progressed, I was given responsibility to carry out experiments on my own without any supervision and to present the data collected. This means a lot to me as this shows that they entrust me in the work I do.

When I started placement, I had very limited skills as it is difficult for universities to train students to their full potential. However placement allowed me to collect a handful of skills which I could put in use when I go back to university and also in my future studies.

The atmosphere is good - everyone is working quietly and there will be the occasional casual conversation. It follows the holiday spirit with decorations during Christmas and an Easter egg hunt. The office is also multicultural which results in people bringing treats from their home country in which we can have a taste during our coffee break!

The placement was very well organised. From the day we arrived we had meetings in order to get familiar in the area we are currently working in. This involved doing tutorials on the computer and doing lab tours which taught us how to use the equipment supplied. We also knew early on what our project will be on and the appropriate deadlines.

They invested in a large amount of time and they are still training me. It started off quite slow as I had very limited lab skills however as time progressed I started taking part in different projects and expanding my skillset. I am 10 months in my placement and I am still being taught new techniques.

Working in the organisation in the future would be something I would be looking forward to. However I am planning to do further studies before finding employment. This option is difficult in industry and there might not be any position in my department for that. Additionally if I do my postgraduate studies in another location, I do not know if the company will be recruiting in 3 or 4 years time.

There is a very good social scene. There is a large amount of students on placement which makes it more enjoyable as we can share our stories and experiences and it gives us the opportunity to make good friends before finishing placement. Additionally you can form good relationships with permanent staff and do social activities with them.

The cost of living is quite expensive as the city is located close to London leading to a large amount of people commuting. Some students can get lucky and find houses at reasonable prices however this is not always the case. There are a number of pubs in which you can socialise in but not a vast amount of options.

There is little to no nightlife. This is due to the fact that it is a small industrial city and the only reason that there are university students in the area is due to the fact that they are on placement. However because the city is close to London, there are a large amount of options for nightlife.

There are quite a few activities you can do outside of work. There are multiple gyms in the area, a bowling centre, a minigolf, a cinema, the opportunity to play sports such as football and netball and there is even rock climbing! In neighboring cities there are more options including indoor skating and go-karts.