Commercial Management Summer Intern (Pharmaceutical) Review

I woke up each morning excited to go to work. Each day saw different challenges and due to being given the responsibility of managing my own time I was able to pick up extra work when I wanted to.

My colleagues were all extremely kind and helpful, making me feel very welcome and part of the team in a short amount of time. By getting to know each other we were able to draw on each other's strengths and I was approached by colleagues in my team to help them with areas they knew I enjoyed.

My manager was extremely supportive in allowing me to extend the scope of my project and in taking on additional work. He guided me with setting my goals and prioritisation. I had weekly one-to-ones with him as well as being available to turn to him for help or guidance whenever I required it.

I was given the responsibility of managing my own calendar and scheduling meetings and work as it suited me. There were naturally peaks and lulls in my working day but I was never overly stressed. Personally, I enjoy being busy so I would keep my calendar fairly busy and plan in extra work when I knew I would have a lull.

I was solely responsible for delivering my project. I had to create my own project plan and manage stakeholders to ensure I delivered on time. I was given real work which had actual value to the business and made me feel valued as an intern.

I learnt many core skills as well as new ones. GSK is very focused on your development. I had a development plan which involved identifying a few development areas and deciding how I would develop these in my time at GSK. These will help me both in my degree and in my future career.

GSK is a very friendly and calm environment. The office runs on a hot desk basis and all of my colleagues were very welcoming.

The internship was very organised. We received a full induction which was planned out for us in the first week - this provided us with all the key knowledge and tools we needed to succeed in our internship. We knew who to contact in case of any issues and were provided with key contact details on our first day.

GSK was very invested in my personal training and development. They had training sessions for areas like project planning and also taught us how to go about tackling our personal development. I had a coach who helped me through mine. They have you fill out a PDP form throughout your internship which is important to the company as they want you to help you achieve what you want out of your career and to see you succeed.

I was offered a place on their FLP graduate scheme when I graduate from university.

Yes, the other interns and I got on really well and arranged to socialise regularly outside of work as well as over lunch times.

I was in London so the cost was higher than other areas of England but not overly expensive for London.

I did not go out in the area that I worked, I went out in the area I lived instead so I don't know how it is.

Yes, there were events and sports organised by placement students for all students but these were geared at the students there for a year, not the summer interns.