Sandwich Student - Analytical Sciences Review

I really enjoyed my work placement because I felt like I was learning new things all the time so the job never got boring. My colleagues were very friendly and one thing that made the placement really good was the everyone was always eager to help you if you were struggling with something, and they always made sure they had time for your questions. There were also other events such as "Science Days" which gave me the opportunity to present my science and discuss many different topics with a large number of people from across the company.

Most of my colleagues were very friendly and made sure I felt welcome from the start. Quickly after my initial training I felt like I was helping my team with the workload and towards the end of my placement colleagues would even ask for my advice with particular scientific techniques that I had recent experience in. There were also social opportunities for me to get to know my colleagues further, such as team meals.

My supervisor was excellent from the start. She gave me a good amount of support and help, especially when I first started, but this was balanced with her allowing me to be independent in my work, with her often checking that I was OK with anything I was doing. I was also given a supervisor for a project that I carried out for 3 months of my placement. Both my manager and supervisor were also very helpful when I came to applying for jobs in the future - giving me CV and interview advice.

I was quite busy most of the time but I didn't often feel like I had too much work to do. My team were very supportive and we had a short daily meeting where there was the opportunity to ask other members of the team to help you with some of the workload if you were struggling. At the start of the placement there were occasions where I had very little to do however, this was because I was still being trained up in the scientific techniques that I would need for the role. Towards the end of the placement I had a lot to do but this was not too much and I enjoy being busy!

After my initial training and supervision I was given the responsibility of carrying out pieces of work on my own. I was trusted to carry out the work and ask any colleague for advice or help if I needed it. Towards the end of the placement I was given quite a lot of responsibility.

The skills and training that I have received will be very useful for a future career in this area. I have a very good in depth knowledge of the techniques that I have used however this is only a small part of my degree. Despite this, I have also gained a large amount of knowledge about the industry and I have been exposed to a lot of different scientific areas, even if I haven't been the one carrying out the research (for example the conferences I have attended have allowed me to learn about pharmaceuticals, chemical syntheses, engineering, analytical chemistry and formulation).

My office was quite quiet, but I never felt that I couldn't ask someone a question if needed. It is quite a small office so everyone generally carried out their work quietly at their desk. However, half of the time people are working in the lab as well and the atmosphere in the lab is a bit more lively.

The placement was quite well organised. I think it would have been good to get a bit more information about the role/team I was going into before the first day. The training was organised quite well, there were only a few things that could have run a bit more smoothly (a couple of occasions where computer-based training was set up on the wrong server). Once we had settled in, everything ran very well. I had a project to carry out and all the student got to pick form a list of choices. The project then ran quite smoothly for a set number of weeks - as agreed by my manager.

The company does invest in me in that I was encouraged to attend conferences and get involved with training on new techniques. I was not allowed to attend a workshop on CV training however, I did get 1:1 help and advice on my CV from both my supervisor and manager, so I felt that this made up for it. Overall the company treated me the same as a permanent employee so I was invested in almost as much as them.

I have a job with the company to start after my placement has finished. I wanted to apply for a job with them because I had enjoyed the placement so much. My new job is in a different department because I wanted to learn more about different areas of the company. The job was appealing because I really enjoy working for them, the people are very friendly and I think I can start a good career with them.

Yes all of the student working at the company are very good friends and do a lot of socialising outside of work. I also socialised with my other colleagues from work through team meals and other socials organised by people in my team. One big socialising event was the Christmas party and this allowed me to socialise with many of my colleagues.

The cost of living is reasonable because I live in the small town near the company. Some of my colleagues live in the big city and this is much more expensive. Socialising is quite cheap is you go out near work, however to go on a big night out it is expensive because you need to travel on a train and then pay for an expensive taxi back.

The town that I lived in had some nice pubs and bars that were open most evenings, but especially at weekends. There was once club which is very small, but a lot of fun when you're out with friends. There is also the option to go into the bigger city nearby, and that has a very good nightlife however, this costs much more money.

There were many sport clubs and teams around that I could have joined, including some through the company. I joined a local swimming team and was welcomed in as soon as I joined.