Electrical & Control Instrumentation Engineer Review

Really enjoyed my 10 weeks at Centrica. All the people in the office were very nice and welcoming and more than happy to help you out if you got stuck. I enjoyed the project I was working on and got to take part in extra out of office activities as well. I learnt a lot of new skills and developed old ones, I met a lot of great people and built great relationships for the future.

I felt quite valued by my colleagues as I was given a project with real responsibility. When contacting people I didn't know, I didn't get treated any differently to how they would treat another colleague simply because I was only an intern for the summer. I got asked for my recommendations and views on my project and what I thought we should do next to move forward. On a more personal level, colleagues in my team and around the office made sure I was settling in well and would take time talk to me about their experiences when I asked them.

My manager was great. He is a very busy man but would always make time for a weekly update meeting to see how I was doing, not only with my project but in general. If I had any questions, he would take the time to go through the answers with me and make sure I fully understood it.

I had a main project to work on which meant I could plan my day as I wanted depending on what I wanted to get done. I usually had quite a lot to do for my project on a daily basis as it consisted of many tasks. At times when I was waiting for people to reply to my emails or get back in contact with me, I felt like I wasn't give as much to the company as I wanted but I would just move on to the other tasks that needed to be completed. I was never bored at my desk doing nothing.

My project came with quite a bit of responsibility, I was in charge of a part of a programme that was to be implemented across the company. By completing this part of the project, it meant the company was able to carry on with the programme and not have to pay any extra costs for extending their timeframe.

I learnt many skills that could be used for both my professional and personal life. I had to contact and engage with many people I had never met and hold technical discussions and meetings, from this I was able to develop my communication skills. I was able to attend development and presentation training days which helped me work better in a team and become more confident while presenting- all of these skills which will benefit me for my masters next year.

Everyone in the office seemed happy to be there, there were times were it was stressful but that happens in all working environments. Everyone gets along well, doesn't matter what position you are, everyone is treated with respect.

Overall the internship was well set up, I knew exactly was I was doing and it was well organised when I was able to meet my manager and start the job. However, the only complaint I would have is that it took quite a while to find out where I was going to be placed. There wasn't a lot of time between finding out where I was going to be living for the summer until I actually moved there. I know I got my accommodation sorted for me (which was well organised), but I still wish I had more time to prepare.

I feel the company invested a fair bit in training and development, I was able to go to different sites to see various parts of the company and work in different offices, I also had a development day and presentation training which was useful for the placement and my degree.

There is a possibility to get taken on for the graduate scheme after the summer placement. If not, you are still able to apply for it. The graduate scheme is very appealing to me as even though it is longer than most (4 years), you are able to work from different places on four different rotations. I enjoy the fact you are able to work in different offices and different parts of the country (maybe even in other countries).

I got put in a flat with 4 other interns, it was just like being back in first year. We all got on really well, we would watch films and go out for a drink/dinner. The first week we arrived there was a boat race between various companies in Aberdeen, this was a nice social event to get to know other people in the office. I wish there were more activities to get to know other people from different teams.

Aberdeen isn't the cheapest place, especially compared to my university (Leeds is cheap), but it is still cheaper than living at home. The only bad thing is because the location is so remote, it was very expensive to go back home and see my family and friends throughout the 2 months.

There are a couple clubs which are perfect is you like cheesy 80s music, but we usually just went out to bars and pubs which were quite good. They had standard, well known bars like Revs and Wetherspoons.

There were many activities at work such as yoga and table tennis after work which we were encouraged to participate in. I went to a couple sessions of each which were fun. They also have volunteering activities such as a beach clean and you are allowed to take half a day off for volunteering somewhere else (there is a list of places you can volunteer at). There are many gyms and sports teams around the city which you can get involved in if that's what you like.