Student Engineer Review
by Costain
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
4.2
-
The Company
4.4
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The Culture
4.1
- 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
Brilliant use of my free time over the summer and Costain gave the best possible chance to learn on the job.
I felt I was treated the same as permanent employees.
Everyone was more than happy to take time out to give support/advice, but rightly so I wasn't spoon feed.
Once I settled into my placement I had a regular schedule of work to do. I was invited to meetings, given people to shadow and my own tasks to complete. Giving me job satisfaction and an opportunity to learn.
As a first year undergraduate I wasn't replacing the Project Director when she was on her summer holiday, but I had the appropriate level of responsibility. If I felt I could do the task and prove I had the correct knowledge then I had the responsibility.
University doesn't teach you how to do your job. That can only be learnt on the job. I appreciate what areas of the course are more relevant and it's given me a greater motivation to work hard at uni, now I have seen what life will be like as a graduate.
The Company
Its a Professional job, everyone works well as a team, you can have a laugh but there is a time and a place.
It's hard for a company to pre-plan for a summer placement but once I started and they new what work was occurring in the coming weeks everything that could be was put in place. HR have a very good process of reviewing your placement which encourages both you and your Project Managers to plan ahead.
I was put on any training course that took place while I was on the placement. I was encouraged to complete Development Objects set but the Institution of Civil Engineers.
I am currently sponsored by Costain so the future looks good. I do have an annual review to my sponsorship offer so but hopefully it will last until I graduate.
The Culture
There was a lot of placement students on the job over the summer so was a great opportunity to share experiences with people from different university's. People would always try and grab lunch together or we'd head to the pub after work every couple of weeks.
Working on a Crossrail project in Mayfair wasn't cheap but everyone new this and often employees would chip in a little extra for us students so it didn't us cost as much. Costain paid all travel expenses so that was a big help.
Great night life being in Central London but it expensive compared to the student norm.
Personally I didn't do any other activities after work but London is full of places to go outside of work if that's what you want.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
London
September 2011
