Summer Intern Review

I enjoyed my placement to a reasonable amount. Though I was given a lot off stuff to do, my tasks were very repetitive and time consuming. The social side was a lot better as there were lots of events that students could get involved in. However, there was no canteen at the office which meant that interns could not interact as much.

I felt that I was valued by my colleagues as the staff were very friendly. I often received good feedback and appreciation for the services that I provided. However, there was one director that demanded a lot from me despite my completing projects for others and was not thankful for the work that I carried out.

I felt that I wasn't given much support/ guidance for the work that I was carrying out. I was asked to do a lot of projects that I had never attempted before. However, if I was confused about something, there would be someone who could help me. this being said, it would have been if I was taught how to carry out these tasks before hand.

I was extremely busy throughout my placement. However the work that I was carrying out was very repetitive and often got boring. I was doing the same tasks near enough everyday and got demotivated during my placement. The work that I was completing was for directors and they handed me over the same task everyday.

I felt that I did not get much responsibility during my placement. I was given the same basic tasks throughout the internship. However, this being said the work that I was doing was integral in preparing reports. despite this, my responsibility did not increase throughout the duration of my placement.

I felt that I was able to improve my communication skills as I completed work for directors and graduates. However, there was no training provided for me in any part of the internship. This being said, I feel that I will be able to build on my communication skills in my studies and beyond.

The general atmosphere in the office was very dull. Majority of the people did not communicate with each other. All of the floors are quiet as everyone is focused on their work. In addition, people are working till 6pm onwards in a daily basis. There wasn't an environment there to try and network with people within the business and get to meet new people.

I believe that the internship was not organised very well. There wasn't a clear structure on work that the interns will do. Some interns had a lot of work to do and some had little to do. This was not a good environment as every intern should have had equal work to do during the placement.

As this was a 4 week placement, the company did not invest in any training and development courses. However, the graduates are given a lot more training as part of the CPD. Interns are not given this opportunity and neither are 12 month placement students. This can be improved I think.

There was a good social scene among other inters. As we were based in the oxford circus office, we often went to the bars during the placement. There were some events that with our teams that we could attend like the cricket. The social aspect of the placement was very good.

The cost of living was very high. The internship pay was well below the industry standard. If the pay was higher then the interns could social more during the duration of the placement. However, as the office was based in central London, interns could often visit different sites around London.

Nightlife was good as we were based in central London. There were plenty of bars and clubs that we could attend. In addition, there were lots of restaurants is well for those that don't drink alcohol. This meant that there was something that every intern could get involved in after work.

There were many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work. I was able to go to the cricket with the team numerous times. However, this was completely dependant on the team that you got allocated to. There were interns that didn't get the chance to go to events with their team. I think that this should be looked into further.