Electrical Validation Intern Review

The internship was incredibly insightful - I learnt a lot about the electrical system of the vehicles and how we could record the messages the car was sending to analyse problems. It was very hands on, I got to replace components within the car on a regular basis and flash the software as well. I also helped out with other departments a few times, and got to know the organisation quite well.

My colleagues definitely trusted me towards the end of the internship, knowing that if they gave me a task to be completed, I'd make sure it was done. There were a few little teething issues at the beginning, but a few changes in my department has helped the morale of the entire team.

I had teething issues with my first manager. He was unsure of my capabilities and was a little restrictive with the tasks given. However, my second manager has been completely different and this turned my entire experience around. We had regular one-to-one meetings to keep up to date with my progress, and there are always experienced team members around who can answer any questions I had.

Pretty much the perfect amount of busyness. There were periods where I felt it was very slow during down times, but then other times you had to be completely on-the-ball with time management to ensure everything got completed. There was a laid back approach to time management - rather than deadlines, we had tasks being given different priorities, so that we could focus on the low priority aspects during quieter periods.

A decent amount. I eventually managed to find my place within the team, and got on with tasks autonomously as I could see they needed doing. I was trusted by the other team members, which helped instill confidence. There were certain tasks that I was not permitted to do, as they would put an intern accountable should something be missed or go wrong, and I completely understand why this would be the case.

My degree isn't really focused on automotive engineering at all. However, I am very much wanting to move into an automotive engineering role at the end of my studies. There are aspects that would benefit my degree; time management and programming, for example. I am a firm believer in degrees as being a foot in the door, the rest of the skills I have learnt here will be invaluable in my future career.

Very relaxed and friendly. Everyone gets on pretty well with very few exceptions. I never felt unwelcome, but was aware of differing opinions between teams, which sometimes created tension when I felt it wasn't necessary. This was very rare though and unfortunately common in all workplaces. Overall, the team and the work atmosphere is very productive and everyone works towards a common goal.

The beginning of my internship was very rocky. Other new interns started their placement by having a month-long transition from another intern. This helps make them feel settled. Unfortunately, my department did not have an intern to take over from, and the negatives points were fed-back to my manager in a constructive manner. These haven't gone to waste, as they will help improve the experience for interns starting in the future.

I would not say the company actively invested in me. There are many training courses available at a cost to the company, such as those to enable testing of prototype vehicles, but these are not offered to interns. Although I would like to return to the company, I imagine many of the other interns do not. Therefore investing in this training for interns would be uneconomical. Having said that, there is plenty of documentation available and a lot to learn if you are willing to put in the effort to find the resources and speak to the team.

I would absolutely love to return to this company. I would like to be more involved in the development stages rather than quality related, but this approach helps build up knowledge of the vehicle first. The development side could be a future career prospect though.

There was weekly events organised for the interns, by the interns. However, I had other friends close-by, and my partner moved with me so didn't attend any. I got on very well with my team though and enjoyed spending time with them.

Cost of living was quite expensive for me, but I did move in with my partner and shared a house in a nearby village. It wasn't too expensive, but after rent and bills, I didn't have too much left to spend.

From what I hear, it was pretty good. The few times I've been out, I had incredible fun. Aunt Sally (a traditional Oxford game) was really enjoyable too, despite none of us being particularly good at it.

There were events organised every week, and a WhatsApp group for all of the interns, so there were plenty of opportunities to meet others and socialise.