Energy Vacation Student Review

My placement/internship was with Arup's energy advisory team and I was exposed to different sides of the industry (fossil fuel and renewable) which was fascinating and definitely a good learning experience. Arup are an extremely professional and well respected firm and this came out in spades just by working in their Edinburgh office over summer.

Senior members on the team were great and complimentary of the work I performed, and there was a good camaraderie between other employees in the office. I would say overall my contribution was valued but colleagues were often reluctant to hand over too much responsibility.

Probably the most disappointing side to the experience, there was very little guidance or man-management, which ideally is what you want as an intern/placement student. I do appreciate that managers are busy, but there was room for improvement in terms of engaging with my progress and reflecting on how I can change/improve performance and approach to work.

Towards the beginning of my placement in June I was busy most days helping out with the submission of a project, but as senior consultants took time off for holiday later on in my placement, my work load dropped significantly.

I went into the placement expecting to be handed a lot of responsibility but the reality is that as an intern/placement student it is a learning curve, and firms are weary to hand over too much responsibility, this is absolutely fine. With that said, there were times that I was given a lot of responsibility and others where the opposite was true.

From a practical, office culture perspective the experience was great as it allowed me to understand about the best dynamics in the office. At the end of the day Arup is all about its people, and the value of relationships was underscored by this placement and will set me in good stead in future. I would say from a report writing perspective it was also helpful and allowed me to refine my writing.

On the whole it was a lively and focused atmosphere which reflects Arup's reputation as a leading global firm. Beyond my colleagues on the team, everyone I spoke to was welcoming and interested in my role and background. I enjoyed getting to meet people from different departments in the office during lunch and coffee breaks.

The build up to the placement through HR was exceptionally well managed and I was impressed, however the actual work placement was poorly structured and it was fairly obvious that there was no fixed plan for my time there. This wasn't a bad thing, as I enjoyed the flexibility of working on different projects throughout the summer.

I was there for 9 weeks and therefore I wasn't expecting dedicated personal training. However like I mentioned earlier there could have been an 'informal' management approach to my learning while I was there. It's difficult to say whether the company invested in me, but I felt welcomed and was able to use any of the facilities and although Arup may not have invested directly through courses I picked up a lot during my time there.

Arup has a fantastic spread of employment opportunities around the UK and as a graduate this was very appealing and at the back of my mind during my placement. Given the company's culture and approach to work it is a very appealing place to work and if there is an opportunity available to stay on then they will strongly consider you, given that you impress during the placement. This is an obvious advantage of choosing to intern with them.

As a relatively big office there was a good group of colleagues who were always up for drinks after work or other social events in town. There was also a great sports and social team who encourage after-work activities like touch-rugby or 5aside football which was a lot of fun. One downside to the Edinburgh office was its location (south queensferry) which made spontaneous post-work plans in town difficult.

Edinburgh was ranked recently as the most expensive student city in the UK, but I didn't actually find it TOO bad. The cost of living was high but not absurd, and given that the placement is paid (which is a big help) I didn't feel the cost of living pinch as much. One thing which was expensive was the commute to work. Like I mentioned, the office is not located in town and therefore the commuting options include a £4-5 daily bus ticket or £8 return train ticket (if you don't have a rail card).

As a city Edinburgh (not South Queensferry where the office is actually located) is incredible, and I couldn't have chosen a better place in terms of the social scene and night life. My placement coincided with a bunch of Edinburgh's summer festivals including the Fringe which is renown for its comedy, theatre and art. Also in august most clubs in Edinburgh stay open until 4-5 AM which is a change from the normal year-round closing hours of around 2-3.

Absolutely, like I mentioned before there was a range of activities organised by the sports and social team which presented opportunities after work.