Data Analyst Review

I was a data analyst for the HO on the summer diversity internship programme. I was placed in that role due to my psychology background as within my course we do a lot of research and use statistical software. However, after a few weeks I realised this is not the kind of job I wanted to pursue but I still stayed within the role as it would be a good learning experience and I could still make the most out of the internship. Data handling may be exciting for others but it was not for me.

The team I was working with has provided excellent feedback and have mentioned on numerous occasions that they appreciated my help with tasks. They were also keen for me to help out as well.

My line manager was amazing. She provided the right amount of independence so that I could learn on my own but was also there for support if I had any problems.

It varies depending on what reports are being scheduled. There were several occasions where I was bored out of my mind but other times it was very vast paced and engaging.

I was given two projects to take the lead on during my 9 weeks. Each of which I presented to my team at the end. I was also given significant responsibility in quality assuring several data sets that would be used on published reports.

I have developed my Excel VBA skills as this was not something I was familiar with prior to starting the internship. It has been a good experience to learn what an office environment is like and how a government department works.

Everyone was usually busy with work. There was chatter at times but mostly work based/focussed. Having visited a different government department - in particular the marketing team there was a very big difference in office atmosphere. It was much more relaxed and fun in the marketing team at this other department. The office environment will differ greatly depending on the department you are with and equally what team you are working with.

Very well organised. All the admin work was sorted before I started my internship so I was able to be paid on time and my log in was also set up for the computers. On my first day I was given an induction which included a tour of the building and introductions to the various team members. My line manager also set up for me to have one-to-one sessions with higher grade civil servants to see what their role involved and how they got to their current position. Central SDIP organisation was very good also, there were several events you could attend including a MOD crisis management event which was a lot of fun, a house of parliament tour and also intern swaps so you could experience other government departments.

Feedback was great so I was able to learn how to improve but also what I was doing well. I had access to the civil service learning hub so I completed several courses to improve my understanding of the civil service and what is expected of a civil servant.

Completing the SDIP gives you the opportunity to receive a 'Fast Pass' which means that if you apply for the graduate scheme you can skip the online tests and go straight to the assessment centre. The graduate scheme has a lot of room for development and training and also progress when you finish it. I would definitely consider applying for it in the future.

The HO has three building you can be placed in. Most of the interns were in the main HO building and I was in one of the others. Because of this I did not build as great of a relationship with the other interns because they were at least a 20 minute walk away and I had to arrange for a pass to be able to get into the building. This I believe was very limiting as there was no incentive to go all that way especially when the other interns were fast making friends with each other. That is the only downside.

London is expensive

There are loads to choose from.

There were centralised events organised by the SDIP team. This included a MOD crisis management event where interns were placed in teams and given the role of a senior minister to deal with an international crisis. There was also a parliamentary tour organised for the interns. The HO organised for a cross-departmental meeting between interns from the HO, DCLG, MOJ & BEIS.