Business and Sales Infrastructure Services Support Review

I had an extremely enjoyable year working at IBM for my placement year. The placement programme and support provided is extensive, and Interns are treated as equals - this is reflected in the level of responsibility and opportunities we are rewarded with. I have gained a lot of insight and knowledge as a result of my placement and would highly recommend it to anyone considering taking a year out.

I felt highly valued by my colleagues, one of IBM's selling points is the sense of community within the organisation, despite the size of the company. Interns are regarded as valuable full-time employees and as a result have high expectations on them to perform their chosen role to the best of their ability. The programmes in place (e.g. having two managers - one of which being dedicated soley to your progress and well-being) means that Interns are not lost within the large organisation, and it is evident that your colleagues are there to support you and help you achieve as much as possible from your year.

You are given a great deal of support and guidance by your manager. This begins on your first few days where you are given an in-depth induction into life at IBM. Your EPM (the manager responsible for supporting your progress) will be there to guide and support you throughout the year. By being separate from the manager you report to on a daily basis, their primary goal is to ensure you are happy and progressing well and so provide an un-bias forum for any help needed. I faced a few challenges within my role and so having an outsiders perspective, who is experienced in dealing with these situations, was an immense help. Moreover, your task manager will provide you daily support in progressing in your specific role. They understand Interns aren't often coming in with a wealth of experience in the role and so are completely understanding and patient with you to help you get to grips with your job.

At the beginning of my placement, and once I had got to grips with my role, I found that I had some space capacity. The good thing about IBM is they really encourage you to utilise your time to the best of your ability and so if you are performing well in your role and completing all your tasks you are free to get involved in any areas that interest you. For example I found the tasks for my initial role were fairly ad-hoc and so I got involved with other projects. I really wanted to gain some experience working with clients, which my role didn't provide, and so I utilised my network and was able to officially join a client account and split my time equally between both roles. In summary, your schedule and how busy you are on a daily basis can really be dictated by you and the work you get involved in.

I was given a vast amount of responsibility - as previously mentioned you aren't looked at as "just an intern" but a fully valuable member of the team. Once you have proven yourself, your hard work can be rewarded. The highlight of my year in IBM was being given the responsibility to lead a client relationship with a key portfolio within Lloyds Banking Group - as a key client for IBM this was an extremely privileged and rewarding role.

I have learnt so many valuable skills that I will take with me and apply to my degree and later life. I have developed confidence and understood the value of being proactive and going out to gain opportunities. One of the key skills I will apply specifically to my degree studies is the ability to manage time and workload - I think I am more prepared for taking on the workload that comes with your final year at university.

The atmosphere is very open and friendly - it is a mixture of seniority levels and job roles and so you gain a lot of experience. It is very welcoming and is free from a sense of hierachy. We have a hot desk system, and so by not having a set desk it means you get to sit next to a variety of different people.

The placement scheme has been running for years and is very established and so it was very well organised. Any questions you have, somebody has probably asked them before, and so they are well equipped to guide you and help you through your intership. It is very well structured with a great deal of guidance involved.

IBM offer a whole host of education and programme sessions, they're dedicated site (Think40) allows you to get involved and learn about areas that particularly interest you. They encourage personal development and growth and so offer lots of training sessions that help you progress, especially in the IT industry. For example, they offer coding sessions for beginners to help you gain further valuable skills.

The future employment prospects are appealing - there is currently a limited amount of graduate schemes on offer, with the primary focus being consulting roles, however IBM is a very flexible and accommodating company that enable you to tailor your future to your own interests. The size of the company means that there's so many different roles you could undertake, and is often the reason you regularly find that colleagues will have been at the company for 20+ years.

There was a really good social scene amongst fellow placement students. IBM take one of the largest cohorts of Interns and this is reflected in the opportunities you are therefore exposed to in socialising. Social events are common, for example interns this year organised a christmas boat party on the Thames which provided you with the chance to meet other interns within IBM.

I worked in london so the cost of living was high - but this is reflected in the fact that interns working in london are paid more than those in other areas. There are of course ways around this and throughout the year you learn where the cheapest places to socialise are.

The Nightlife in London is really good - there are so many different places and events you can attend depending on your interests. The only real difficulty I faced was the fact I didn't live in London and so I was restricted by having to get the last train home.

There are lots of different opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work, for example IBM have different sporting teams (e.g. Netball and Football) and also attend events such as The Corporate Games - where you compete against other companies in a variety of different sports. Working in London especially there are so many options.