Software Engineer Review

by GSK

Best Student Employer

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.3/5
  • The Role
    3.8
  • The Company
    3.1
  • The Culture
    2.9

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

    • meaningful work, wondering campus (Stevenage), fantastic exposure to enterprise IT systems

    4/5
  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

    • professional atmosphere, maybe a bit lacking in after work activities

    4/5
  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

    • good guidelines for managers, good mentoring system, and my manager really knew what he is doing

    5/5
  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

    • some busy days of staying until 7, some 10 - 4 days

    4/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • lots of autonomy, maybe a bit stifling in terms of creativity

    4/5
  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

    • great training opportunities

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

    • professional, respectful, but at the same time segmented because of the high number of contractors in IT; there is definitely a lot of older staff who does not care to entertain younger new starters in small talk, unless you work with them on a project.

    3/5
  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

    • the placement is well set up, it goes through a recruitment agency (SRG) and they offer good support, there is also an established placement student union/ organisation that helps a lot out on the welfare and social scene

    4/5
  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

    • I got unlimited access to an external software engineering learning platform (pluralsight) which was instrumental to my growth as a developer. The internal corporate learning portal is also well set up.

    4/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • Subsidised Canteen

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    Financial Bonus

    Company Parties/Events

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop
    3/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • there is no direct feed or linkage between the IP scheme and the grad scheme, so you only get the advantage of experience within the organisation already

    3/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

    • a good social scene because of the number of students and apprentices at sites like Stevenage and Brentford, but I can imagine interns at smaller sites can get a bit lonely

    4/5
  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

    • cost is only a bit cheaper than London, public transportation is a bit expensive, there is't much to do in Stevenage and people travel home on weekends, which can also be expensive

    3/5
  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

    • good, reasonably priced pubs in old town, no established clubs, buses run until 1 am, but well positioned between London and Cambridge with frequent fast trains

    3/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • there were lots of charity days and opportunities from a corporate scheme called "Orange day"; there is also a well organised annual work experience program for six formers; numerous employee interest groups also organise joint socials with other companies

    3/5
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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

South East

March 2017

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