Respiratory Technologist Review

I very much enjoyed my placement. The people I work with are nice and do not judge me or treat me differently because I am an IP student. There are quite a few IPs at the site I work so there is a good social life too. Opportunities are everywhere if you search for them, and you are encouraged to explore the different department and sites around company.

I also felt as one of the team, not 'just an intern,' Towards the end of my placement, I was entrusted with decisions which have an impact on the strategic plan of the company and given my own projects to manage and deliver, rather than one off tasks associated with other people's projects.

My manager was also willing to sit and chat, both formally as part of feedback sessions and informally to discuss the best way to progress a piece of work or future career advice. When I needed support, I was given it but when I did not I was allowed to work freely.

Generally speaking, I was given a level of work which kept me busy and engaged. There were times when I found my workload was slightly light, but this would not be for more than a few days before increasing again. When the workload is light, I found it a good opportunity to explore other areas of the company, or use the resources available to work on my CV, linkedin and interview skills.

At the beginning of the placement, as expected, I was mostly given tasks to complete to aid my learning of the workplace. Later into the placement, I was given projects to own and manage with the responsibility to deliver them on time. As I was working in a highly regulated environment, I was actually quite surprised how much responsibility I was given over the year as mistakes can cost a lot of time and/or money to resolve.

I have learnt how to use many different software suits used in industry, which will be valuable no matter where I end up working. Planning and running trials and experiments also taught me a lot of hard and soft skills including how to use various pieces of laboratory equipment a university is very unlikely to own. By presenting work outputs and writing reports I feel I am going to have a far better chance at success with my dissertation in my final year. I have also been in workshops, lead by the HR department, to improve my CV and cover letter writing skills, Linkedin account and interview skills.

The office was a relaxed environment, with no one looking over your shoulder at what you were doing. I would have liked more out of work activities with those I worked with, but there were still several over the time I was here. You could be sure to always here laughter somewhere in the office.

The placement is set up very well, with site representatives and an 'IP council' who arrange group events and socials for the IP students and apprentices across the country, as well as arranging skill workshops and presentations from senior management. There is also a permanent employee on each site who is responsible for the helping the IPs get the most out of there time in the company.

I was trained as much as any permanent employee would have been, and was sent on courses with third parties which resulted in me being awarded with certificates recognised across several different industries.

There is a big drive to encourage IP students to return. As part of being an IP student your manager is able to recommend you for the Future Leaders Programme - the graduate scheme. If they do, you get a chance to apply before the applications are open to everybody else. In addition, regardless of if you are recommended or not, your CV is stored in a database of applicants for two years after you leave, available to any hiring manager to review should you wish to apply for direct entry.

Nearly every lunch nearly all of the IP students met in the canteen - or went into town - with regular parties and social events after work. There is an IP/apprentice football team, which competes in the company inter-site football league. With non-IP colleagues there was less social events, but still a good social scene with people going to lunch together everyday and meeting in the pub after work. There were also several trips into central London over the year, or to more local restaurants and attractions.

Rent i decent (compared to your wage) so long as you house share. The company was great at helping sorting out housing, with Facebook and What's app groups already set up, which all IPs were invited to. The town itself has several supermarkets and a farmers market one day a week, making it easy to keep food costs low. There isn't a Weatherspoons, but are still some reasonably priced pubs and it's easy to have a meal out for £10-15 with friends. The local club is reasonably priced too.

Possibly the weakest part of where I was, there was only 1 club which needed a taxi to get to/from. When a group of you went out together the taxi fare worked out quite cheap though. There are several pubs and bars, with live music and quiz nights.

There is a sports and social club on site, with sports from tennis and badminton to kayaking and climbing as well as a subsidised pub. There is opportunities to volunteer at local schools and national science events (such as the Big Bang), which you are allowed time off of work to do.