Procurement Analyst Review

GSK is a great company to work for with a fantastic culture and ethos. Everyone is very approachable and easy to talk to, making the placement year both enjoyable and useful. At times I could have been busier but overall it was a pleasant and useful start to my career.

My colleagues and even those outside of my Department whom I connected with all seemed to be very nice people which helped make me feel valued. There is a good team ethos in this company and so I certainly felt valued by both my colleagues in the team and those outside of my team.

My Manager and I got on very well which made my Placement year very enjoyable. I therefore received lots of support and career guidance as far as next steps and career aspirations go. I have been able to connect to those in my Managers network to find out about work in other areas of the company.

My workload did vary quite considerably month to month. This was because my work was mainly project work, so there were quiet and equally busy times. I was able to take on more work from other members in my team during these quiet periods but whether this work was truly adding value I am not so sure.

I was not given that much responsibility when it came down to speaking to our suppliers. The global team spend was close to 800m but on my placement I didn't really get much responsibility here. Overall, I was more of a support analyst than a project manager so lacked real responsibility.

The great majority of the training and skills I have developed this year will certainly help with my final year at University. My time management skills have certainly improved which should help me be more efficient and effective when it comes to using time for Uni work when I return in September.

There was a good laid back general atmosphere in our office. The atmosphere varied from department to department but ours was fortunately nice. Friday's were much quieter than the other days as many people work for home on Friday's meaning the office is eerily quiet if you come in yourself.

Not that well organised, took a long time to get set up. Limited training organised, manager away for first few weeks of my Placement.

Many other departments seemed to have bigger budgets and so spent more on their IP's. Working in Supply Chain our budget was tight and so I don't feel there was much investment in trainings etc, perhaps this is one of the reasons why I don't wish to pursue a career here.

There was quite a good social scene amongst other IP's. Although getting involved in sports e.g. football on Tuesday evenings was the best way to really meet other colleagues and network in an informal environment. These sports clubs helped improve the overall social scene here at GSK, there are many different sporting groups.

Cost of living was high due to being in an affluent part of London. This was a challenge given the low salary us Placement students received. Going out and socialising was equally expensive (£5+ pints) but I suppose this is to be expected working in and around London. London prices apply here, without the paired salary.

Nightlife wasn't really present right near work. There are a lot of nice bars and pubs in the surrounding areas such as in Richmond. But the clubbing scene was limited to heading into London which is rather expensive on our basic salary, and a bit of a mission to get to and fro.