BIB Review

I really enjoyed my placement at GSK. Although the work was sometimes difficult and repetitive, I have greatly developed both my professional and practical skills as well as gaining a valuable insight into a large pharmaceutical company. GSK also offered many interesting events such as seminars to improve scientific knowledge and social events to network with scientists and other students.

I was lucky to be part of a sociable, friendly department which made day to day work entertaining and fun. I think my colleagues did value the work I completed over the year and my supervisor frequently commented that they were appreciative of the effort I put into my placement year. My department also organised social events outside of work.

For the first few weeks of my placement, I was given a lot of support in the laboratory to become familiar with the equipment and techniques used. In addition, I had regular progress meetings with my supervisor throughout the entirety of my university project to discuss my results and the project's future direction.

This varied a great deal- some days I would be very busy and end up working over time however other days were a lot more relaxed and I had time to help out with events on site such as STEM insight days. Sometimes a quiet week would become very busy if an instrument broke in the lab.

I was given a fair amount of responsibility on placement since myself and another placement student were responsible for carrying out the non-GLP studies in the department. However, this work was always directed and reviewed by our supervisor who checked to ensure the data produced met department standards. I was also given my own project which came with a certain level of responsibility.

My practical laboratory skills have greatly increased over this year and I am looking forward to being more confident in the lab during my final year at university. On a professional level, I have developed better communication skills through presenting to large audiences and producing scientific posters. I believe that the skills I have developed this year will help me in my future career.

Generally, the atmosphere was great in the office and very relaxed- I think this was a reflection of the friendly department I was part of as students in other departments commented their office was quieter than my own! The office was fairly big and flexi-time working meant there was people constantly moving around and discussing work.

The placement was organised well, on the first day we were assigned our supervisors and had many introduction talks. The first few weeks were fairly slow however work soon picked up and I was working in the laboratory most days by the end of the first month. My department have had placement students for the last few years and so are accustomed to having students in terms of university supervisor visits etc.

I was fully trained to use the majority of the equipment in the laboratory and was able to have time off to visit other departments. GSK offered many opportunities to develop professionally however sometimes it was difficult to get time to attend seminars or conferences if department work was busy.

From my experience, the GSK grad scheme is very difficult to get on since they only offer a small number of roles. In addition, there seems to be a very small number of graduate R&D roles- many research roles require a PhD. This is a bit disappointing because I enjoyed the role I held during placement.

I enjoyed socialising with my colleagues- we often had meals out and after work drinks. There was also opportunities to socialise with students from other sites through events such as a Christmas ball and boat party organised by GSK students. On my GSK site there was around 20 IP students and so there was always someone to sit with at lunch.

Average- cheaper than what I paid during my first two years at university but the area I worked in was close to London so prices weren't as cheap as other GSK sites. However, the salary I was paid meant that I didn't struggle for money and was able to save some of it.

I worked in a small town and so the nightlife was very limited in terms of clubs however the town had many pubs to enjoy weekends in. The town was close to London and so you could easily get a train if you wanted to enjoy a more lively night in a bigger city.

There were many opportunities- a sports club on site meant you could join football teams and hire out courts to play with your friends. In addition, there was opportunities to raise money for charity through bake sales and collections. There was also a strong LGBT support community on site that raised awareness during pride week.