Software developer. Review

I loved it. The company has a very supportive atmosphere and genuinely cares about each employee's development as a person. I started my internship with no experience of professional software development, and they provided all the training I needed, along with both a mentor and a manager who were there to help me develop. I would highly recommend applying.

I was on a small team and we had meetings every morning to discuss progress. Although I was very much learning more than participating, I definitely felt that when I did have an opinion it was listened to carefully. It helped a lot that the work I had been given to do was genuinely useful work, not just something to occupy me, something which helped me to feel valued.

I had both a manager and a mentor, and from day one I was given great support from both. I was always able to ask if I had a technical question, and I also had weekly meetings with my manager where we discussed my general development including non work related issues, and further technical development.

I always had work to do, but I rarely felt like I had a deadline I couldn't meet. I had an active role in determining the time frame in which I thought that I could deliver my work. In addition, if a difficulty I hadn't envisaged cropped up, which from time to time is all but inevitable, I could always revise my estimates.

The nice thing about my internship is that I was given a project which was functionally separate from the rest of the team, which meant that I experienced the whole development process. The responsibility I was given grew during my internship in line with my technical proficiency. Also, every member of the team had code reviews for every line of code they write, so I never felt that the responsibility rested solely on my shoulders.

I developed my knowledge of various languages, as well as of the general way in which programming works, which will be invaluable in computer based coursework at university. There were also many opportunities to present to a group of people which enhanced my ability to present ideas in front of a group of people; always a handy skill to develop.

Great. There was generally an atmosphere conducive to work, but there were also occasionally diverting things too, such as sharing of xkcd, nerf wars, and other light hearted (optional) events. More to the point, I never felt that these adversely affected my ability to work, and the majority of non work related events happened in lunch breaks.

Very. There were frequent lunchtime talks for interns which covered a range of subjects from AI to experiments with liquid nitrogen. I never felt like I was at a loose end or was just waiting for something to be organised. The application process was very smooth, and much quicker than other companies I applied to.

I arrived with minimal programming experience, and I was taught on the job everything I needed to know. (See above for other not specifically work related events the company put on). The development was also general, not just in specific, directly applicable work related areas (ie giving presentations, or job interview advice).

Fairly good. The company is large enough that it has a diverse range of areas in which you can work, and job mobility internally is good. This is a company which treats its employees well, so seems like a great company to work for. That said, apparently the financial remuneration is not quite as high as other companies so if money is a driving factor in your life, you may want to look elsewhere.

There were about 20 interns around at any one time. We regularly went out together to the pub, or with company drinks. It was also helpful that I was staying in a company house so I was around other interns a lot. There was one week where all the interns from different offices in UK arrived which was great fun, especially the hackathon.

Standard London

No idea.

Yes (see above for further details).