Analytical Scientist Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my placement this year. I have learnt so much and particularly enjoyed applying the theoretical knowledge I learnt at university to real life situations. Also it feels great to have a positive contribution to patients across the world. I would highly recommend this placement to any chemistry students looking for experience in industry.

My team has been very welcoming and very forthcoming in all the queries I have had over the year. As well as a strong focus on work quality and efficiency, there is an importance put on treating employees well and getting to know you on a personal level. This made me look forward to going to work each day.

I had monthly catch up meetings scheduled with my supervisors to discuss my progress through the year and if there was any areas I wanted to improve on. For example, learning new analytical techniques or taking on more responsibility within the team. However, if I needed to catch up more frequently my supervisors always made time for me.

I worked 9-5 each day with the majority of the time spent in the lab. This made me very busy each day which was great. I dictated the quantity of work I was juggling at any one time. This taught be valuable time management skills and how to know your limits.

I has given more responsibility than I first thought I would be - but I loved that. I was treated as a full time employee and all the responsibilities that come with that. It was up to me to recognise the limits of my own ability and seek advice when if I felt out of my depth at all.

The skills I learnt will be invaluable going forward into the final year of my degree. I have improved my time management skills the most, juggling many different tasks at once, which will be essential for future work. Also, I have developed clearer communication skills through constant conversations with specialist during problem solving activities.

The work atmosphere is really positive. Everyone is so welcoming and always happy to help, however busy they are. The team were up for team bonding activities and were always up for having a good time. A friendly atmosphere runs through the company and is gladly adhered to by all.

My placement was very well structured, with training regime laid out as soon as I started. I was then give 10 weeks to perform and individual research project which was part of my university program. The on-boarding process was painless and very informative, which quickly got me up to speed.

We had a great group of 20 of us all start at the same time with some us living together in Macclesfield and sharing lifts to work. We organised to do activities in the evening and weekends together, with everyone always up for a good time. This feature helped to make my year very enjoyable.

The nightlife in Macclesfield is not the best. There are plenty of pubs however very limited places to do activities with a group. However, Manchester is just a 20 minute train journey which provided plenty of entertainment. Also access to the peak district enabled us to go on the lots of walks/be sporty at the weekends.