This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
Highly enjoyable. What was so fun about it? Interesting people to interact with. Exposure to the inner workings of a healthy company. Interesting work. Opportunity to learn about all other aspects of the business. I feel there are a lot of good role models here so I felt happy to be able to grow in such an environment. Arcade room and ping pong were also great for short term fun! Ditto BBQs and social events!
There's obviously a learning curve to get started but I *never* felt like a second class citizen because I was an intern. Rather, I felt more like a new starter. I was given impactful projects to work on and from week 2 was presenting to stakeholders.
They were great. There is no problem at all with asking any questions and further to that I have a structured weekly 1-1 meeting with my immediate manager to remove any blockers and ensure things are going well!
I was working steadily for most of most days. Sometimes by myself, sometimes talking with others - there was more than enough to do so I was never bored - I didn't even have the urge to browse Facebook or BBC news. But on the flip side I always had time for a lunch, a game of ping pong, and I was always out by 5.30. Expectations were realistic. If something took longer than expected then I was trusted that this wasn't because I was slacking, all that was required was to communicate new timelines to stakeholders and keep people in the loop. I'd say it was a pretty perfect balance indeed.
I was responsible for my own work, but big decisions were taken in conjunction with the team. So I also took some responsibility for the work of other team members. It's a nice balance and nice to be part of a team rather than a lone wolf!
This was my first internship and it has truly been eye opening in a good way. I have learnt a lot from seeing the way business is done here, and from exposure to the company as a whole. I think being around my colleagues has been useful, they are good role models. I've learnt a lot about the online travel industry through a structured series of internal lectures, and also analytics in general from my day to day job. I also took a course in SQL. There's really too much to fit in this box... very useful.
The Company
Great. Everyone was helpful and open. People were fun but not distracting. It wasn't deathly silent nor annoyingly raucous. The nicest thing is that anyone you want to speak to will make time for you. Good work / life balance as well. Nobody seemed down. People generally optimistic and growing. People were collaborative rather than competitive. Office amenities like table football and ping pong helped break the day up and maintain focus at other times.
Very organised. Great introductory procedure to help settle in and meet other interns. Great series of organised lectures on all aspects of the business. Courses offered for learning. Loads of social events. London shuffle club. BBQs. Drinks. Treasure hunts. Ballie Ballerson... Real work provided in the placement team. Pay came in on time and without difficulty.
I had great investment from my team. They got me up to speed and always took the time to indulge my curiosity. The company as a whole also invested lots of time to add value to the placement. I was able to sign up to courses even if they were not directly applicable to my day job. I was able to spend time working on a hackathon project outside of my team. There was of course an expectation to deliver some work, but what was great is that I genuinely feel my team were happy to balance that with my own personal growth.
Financial Bonus
Very appealing. Unfortunately due to academic commitments I can't come back immediately, but I will seriously consider re-applying down the line. I have enjoyed the work and the people. I have found the online travel industry to be delightfully complex. I also have the sense that there is more interesting work to be done. This is not a stagnant company. The only reason I didn't put '10' is because I haven't actually got a job with them. Yet. P.s. I get the impression there is a good rate of transition from internship to permanent work.
The Culture
Yes. The group bonded well and there was lots of messaging etc. and keeping in contact which was good because you got to know other areas of the business. The social side of things was very well oiled by HR's calendar of social events. The table football table also helped. I'll be keeping in contact.
On the cheap side for London. But still London prices.
Not bad. Pubs and bars. But I'm not really into the scene. So I'm not the best person to ask. The office is near Angel station, so you're not far from anything!
Lot's of informal meals with whoever wanted to go, as well as free BBQs and drinks. A treasure hunt. We did a 'day of caring' helping out at a local city farm instead of working one day. All pretty good. On the other hand there wasn't a sense that work was trying to take over. There wasn't something every night.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
Computer Science
London
September 2017