Fuel IPT intern Review

I found there were some very tedious parts of the internship but the majority was interesting and challenging. The tedious bits of work seemed necessary to progress onto anything more interesting, so I suppose you can't really avoid it. Although I had one main objective that spanned the entirety of my internship, there was lots of varied small pieces of work to complete. I could work on these as a break from my main objective, which allowed me to return to it with fresh eyes.

I felt valued and trusted; on top of my initial objectives I was asked to complete some extra work. This made my workload more varied and interesting as well as allowing me to help out when employees went on holiday.

My supervisors were very willing to review any work that I wanted feedback on, allowing me to produce the best possible work. They were also available to give me advice on any other areas of company life, for example the best places to eat on site or good places to visit in the town I was staying in.

Although my workload did vary a little such that sometimes I ended up staying 10 hours and sometimes was left twiddling my thumbs, this happened only rarely (maybe 3 or 4 days out of 12 weeks) - on the whole my supervisors ensured I had enough to do but wasn't being buried in work.

I felt I had the agency to make some decisions about the best way to proceed, or give feedback about the standard processes if I felt they could be improved, I was always reporting this to a supervisor. It was a good balance between being trusted to make sensible decisions and having someone to ask for help when I needed it.

The skills I gained using MATLAB, Excel, and CFD packages will definitely be useful for the rest of my career. Even if I don't use the same specific packages, the ability to quickly learn how to use a new program is priceless and this internship definitely supported me in gaining this ability; I have used several packages that I had never heard of before but within a few weeks was able to use confidently. I have also learned a fair amount about what to expect from a big company (e.g. how to intereact with HR, lawyers, finance etc), which will make the on-boarding at my next placement/job a great deal easier and smoother.

I found it was the perfect balance between focussed individual work and chatting with colleagues; although it is important not to get distracted I find a quick conversation can refresh you and stop you from feeling isolated at your desk. People in the office are obviously good friends & comfortable with each other, and everyone was very welcoming and freindly when I arrived.

I had quite a few problems with IT, but after that was set up I had no problems, and my supervisors made sure there was work I could do even before I had all my accounts set up.

The company was very willing to give me time to learn new skills, even if this meant I delivered an objective a bit later, as well as providing training at the start of my internship. I didn't request any extra training but I was made aware that it was there if I needed/wanted it.

I would definitely consider applying to the Graduate scheme when I finish my degree, however I have two full years at uni to finish first. If I only had one it is possible that good performance could fast forward me through the application process. Even though I wouldn't want to work in this particular department (although I did ask to be working with fluid mechanics, I found I didn't enjoy the work as much as I expected - but that's not because the company didn't make efforts to accommodate me), I am aware of several other business units that I would be interested in working in.

I went out a few times with other interns and colleagues, but because I was living in a different city and commuting in, I found it difficult to make time in the evening. However I know that many of the other interns lived close together and socialised quite a lot in the evenings.

I'm originally from the south coast and I was staying in Manchester - the cost of living is so much lower in this area! I also found the company facilities (canteen etc) to be very good value for money.

Manchester, where I was living, has an amazing nightlife. However many of the other interns were living in Preston, which has maybe two clubs.

Because of my long commute I found I wasn't left with much free time in the evenings.