Associate Study Manager Review

I loved my placement year at GSK, I made some very good friends, gained invaluable knowledge and experience in the field I want to pursue, and have been able to decide on the direction I want to follow after my University degree. I found the work very interesting and thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the company.

I was treated as a valued member of my team and the company had such a friendly atmosphere. Everyone was very approachable and I could easily reach out to colleagues in different departments for advice and insight.

I felt very supported throughout my placement year. I was always able to approach my manager with any question I may have, and was assigned a mentor at the start of the year to talk weekly about my development and progress.

I had regular tasks throughout the week in addition to new projects that came in waves throughout the year, so I always had a base level of work, with some periods becoming busier than others.

I was given a lot of responsibility, including projects that I was asked to take over, or documents of information to put together. I always had a point of contact for these projects/tasks so whilst I had sole responsibility, it did not feel overwhelming.

I have gained confidence in networking and approaching other professionals, in presenting information to groups and sharing updates in meeting settings. I have been able to gain a good understanding of the processes and networks of roles that work together within drug development.

The office has an open-plan, hot-desking setup, with teams sitting in areas together. This meant that there were always people to answer any queries, and the atmosphere was quiet but not silent. I had a very friendly, welcoming team creating a fun, positive atmosphere in my area, so it is fairly dependent on the team within which you are working.

GSK cater very well for placement students. I felt valued as a member of staff rather than a student, and I was given a lot of responsibility for projects that I was involved in. There were always points of contact to ask for information, and the company were very used to the process of employing industrial placement students.

GSK encouraged setting personal development targets with managers at the beginning of the year. They enabled these to be met through development days - visiting other areas of the business, touring GSK sites/labs, and arranging networking meetings with employees in areas that you are interested in.

I would love to return to this company. I felt very welcome, had ample opportunity to develop myself, and was able to work and network with colleagues throughout the company and across the globe.

'IP Unite' over the course of the year organised a Christmas ball and a summer boat party for the students. There were also sports activities for students from different sites to meet each other, and organise social events themselves.

My placement was at a GSK site in London, so the cost of socialising was high.

The GSK site where I was based did not have much nightlife around it, however it was an easy journey into central London where there was always a lot going on.

We were actively encouraged to get involved in activities outside of work, including GSK charity work, sports activities, and business and STEM initiatives.