This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 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
The placement was really enjoyable- the work was interesting and I had the opportunity to develop the company's expertise in one area and help influence the way that this sort of work will be carried out in the future.
I felt well inducted into the team, even though my work was quite different to some of my colleagues. There was a good level of socialising, and the team were always willing to help out and share knowledge / skills. However, quite a lot of the work was individual projects and therefore there was quite a bit of private working, but that is the nature of this particular department and not a criticism.
My line manager was definitely the best I've ever had, the level of support and guidance was spot on. I was also able to interact frequently with those higher up the management chain.
The job fluctuated between waiting for data and chasing people up, which was at times frustrating and left me with little else to do, to frantically writing up reports with deadlines looming. But at least there was variety and by the end of the placement I had other small jobs to do which prevented me from feeling bored.
I was left free to manage my own project and dictate the work that needed to be. The work I was doing was quite important to the future development of this sort of technology and it was good to have the responsibility to get on and do it with the trust that I would deliver.
My development thanks to my experience with the company has been significant, and my manager never hesitated to say yes when I was keen to undertake additional training. I felt like the company was happy to invest in my skills, many of which will be very relevant to the rest of my degree studies and beyond.
The Company
It's quite hard to make a room full of people working on computers seem particularly exciting, but the teams made efforts to make it seem more fun, especially on birthdays and other occasions. Social chat was encouraged and it was nice to bond with the team like this, especially since we all had similar interests.
Very slick assessment centre and selection process, lots of feedback at every stage, virtually faultless.
The company seemed very keen to invest in my skills and development, and I was able to access a number of training courses which will have real value in my future degree studies and employment.
Flexi Time
Subsidised Canteen
Sports and Social Club
Subsidised/Company Gym
National Travel
Company Parties/Events
Staff Sales/Staff Shop
Above 25 days holiday
Working from home
Healthcare from home
Definitely top of my list of companies I want to work for after graduation. I have already been accepted on an assessment centre for the top graduate scheme and will do my utmost to be offered the place!
The Culture
Lots of events organised by our fellow placement students, and regular ones with the team. If I lived closer to work, I could have been able to do something at least a couple of times every week.
I was able to stay in my University house during the placement, which kept the costs down. The city itself was fairly average in terms of cost.
I didn't experience the nightlife, but the reviews are fairly good and there is a lot of selection.
The activities outside of work are more aimed at the graduates than the interns, though I suspect that we could get involved if we wanted to. The way of communicating these activities though is a bit ad-hoc.
Details
South West
September 2011