European Business Analyst Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the work during my placement year at GSK. I gained a very interesting and challenging insight into the IT and business side of the pharmaceutical industry and at GSK, I worked on many different projects that motivated and challenged me everyday of my placement, It was a success for me personally.

My colleagues were amazing at GSK, my immediate team were friendly, helpful and always available when I needed them. I felt that I had a really good support network at GSK who I could depend on for support and advice, I had the opportunity to work with global colleagues too which was really exciting.

I could not have asked for a better manager or supervisors for my placement year, from day one they helped me with everything I needed help with, whether it be work related or personal issues which they were able to work around with me, I cannot fault how good they were.

There was never a day when I did not have work to do, granted some weeks were busier than others but my manager always made sure I was getting the most of my placement by allowing me to take part in certain projects that were relatable to me or ones that I found particularly interesting.

Within my first month at GSK I was working on a global project which I came to own. I was given the opportunity and responsibility to steer the project how I found fit under the supervision of management, this continued throughout my placement, I was given a lot of responsibility and was trusted by my team to deliver.

The skills I have learnt during my placement year I have no doubt will help me in my future career, everything from project management to stakeholder management and a deep understanding of processes and applications of the world of business and technology, I will be able to transfer these across to my studies and future career

The atmosphere in the office was mixed, on some days it was relaxed and other days it was busy but there always spaces you can find to work quietly i.e. A quiet booth. There are a lot of different personalities in the office and it was nice to have that mix.

Everything was well structured for me, I met with my managers and we said what we both outlined what is expected of me and what I expect to gain from the company in return. There was never any confusion on how things should be done as it was very organised.

My director very kindly funded a project management course for me amongst other internal trainings. This is something that will help me to stand out on my CV when applying for future positions, GSK really invests in it's employees and helps you to be the best you can be there.

The future employment prospects are very appealing, as the company is constantly changing and my degree fits in very well with the direction the company is going in, this opens up many opportunities and pathways with GSK, something that the company is using to promote appealing roles for the future.

There is an internal group 'IP Unite' this is a group of placement students elected by other placement students. The group organises events for placement students, some of the past included the christmas ball, boat party and other exciting events across London, they also organised some internal training by request.

As I worked in London, the cost is considerably higher than the rest of the UK. However, being away from the centre the cost was not as bad as some other areas, GSK house is based in Brentford, London and is in the far west so it's not the worst price wise, there are a few bars and pubs you can go to to socialise too.

There was not much nightlife in Brentford as there are no clubs there, however there are some bars and pubs which close at 1am so there is the opportunity for some prolonged socialising nightlife wise. There is also a pub which offers discount to GSK employees upon showing the ID badge.

The company owns a playing field just around the corner from the headquarters, you could go there and play any sport such as cricket, football or tennis etc. There were a lot of opportunities as something is always being planned or setup and this is announced on the company webpages and via email at times.