Tech Early Talent Programmes Coordinator Review

Working at GSK has been a really great experience. I have thoroughly enjoyed working there for a year and definitely would recommend to other people thinking of applying. GSK is a great company to work for and the values are culture are something that sets the company above others! I have learnt many skills and will definitely use them going forward.

At GSK, you are definitely valued as a 'real employee'. My manager often forgets I am a placement student as I am so embedded within the team. At GSK, there is a great work ethic and people in the office are very friendly and approachable, something you may not experience at every company!

I have always felt very supported by my line manager. Although they don't babysit you, or hold your hand along the way, they are a great support and help to stretch and push you out of your comfort zone. I know that if I needed any guidance I could reach out to my manager and they would be happy to help!

It really depends, some parts of the year were completely packed and back to back, and other years a lot quieter. It can depend on what projects you're working on and when they are, but overall I have had a very good workload throughout the whole year, and it has helped me to manage my time better.

A lot more responsibility than I thought! I really felt that the second I came into GSK they trust you immediately and have an expectation that you will get on with the work. I lead whole projects without any input from anyone senior to me, they really see you as a normal employee!

I can't explain how beneficial doing a placement year is in terms of career progression and going back to university. You definitely come out with a different concept of time and appreciate having evenings and weekends free. I will definitely try and stick to the 9-5 when I go back to university - who knew there were so many more hours in the day!

A lot friendlier than I thought it would be! As previously mentioned, it is a very friendly atmosphere at GSK, which is driven by the values the employees live by. Most people are very approachable and are happy to help / offer advice. One of the things I love about GSK is the culture of the company.

I think the placement year was very well organised from recruitment all the way to the end of my placement. The only thing I wish I could have done was the opportunity to rotate around different areas within HR, but other than that the scheme is well structured and well set up.

There was not formal training and development, which is something that perhaps the placement lacked and is part of other schemes (such as graduate schemes at GSK). However, they do very much invest in you as an employee working at GSK, your manager works closely with you over the year to help improve any development areas you may have.

I would definitely consider coming back to GSK. We have many different graduate schemes you can apply to or alternatively, many placement students come back through direct entry into the business. The only downside is that you don't get offered a graduate role once you have completed a placement year unlike some other companies, there is still a fast-tracked recruitment process that takes place, but this is because there are over 300 placement students at GSK!

Yes! There are many great Christmas parties (one of the highlights of my year), and all placement students get to go on the Summer Boat Party on the River Thames which was very good fun! There are also socials arranged every now and again, but because there are so many placement students, there is always something social happening.

Expensive... living in London is not cheap! But, it has everything you can imagine on your doorstep and is very easy to get into central London. There is always something new to do and your'll find people at GSK are very sociable and love a Thursday night sesh at the local pub!

In Brentford, there are nice pubs and restaurants. However, as there are good transport connections, it is very easy to get into central London or anywhere in London, which means there is so much to do. I will miss having everything on my doorstep - you can't go wrong to be honest!

Yes, lots of opportunities outside your general day-to-day job. I had the opportunity to support on many charity events and act as the face of GSK. They offer lots of opportunities like this to placement students in order to develop new skills and also to get to see more of the company!