Industrial Placemnt Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at GSK. The opportunities and support offered by everyone across the company have been truly beneficial. In addition to being able to develop my scientific skills I have also been able to develop soft-business and interpersonal skills through the regular participation in, and contribution to, meeting and presentations. Altogether I feel like the placement has prepared me extremely well for any future career, whether that is in scientific research or not.

I feel very valued by my colleagues. They have given up a great deal of their time to ensure that I have received all the training and support I have needed whilst working here. This attention and focus towards my personal development has made me feel like a valued member of my team.

My placement was overseen by two supervisors. The amount of support and guidance they have given me is phenomenal and truly appreciated; because of their input I feel as though I have managed to really get the most out of my placement year. Other members of management, such as my team leader and line manager, have also been very helpful in this regard.

There has not been one time during the placement where I have had no work to do. There have been quieter or busier periods throughout the year as aligned with project or programme timelines. Additionally, at times the amount of work has been a little stressful but I suppose that is to be expected. All in all, a relatively good balance of workload.

Although my supervisors have always been there for advice and support, they allowed me to self-manage my own independent research project. As the work was technically a pre-project development, it allowed a great deal of flexibility when investigating the biological intricacies of a certain cell type. This meant I was given a lot of responsibility; having to properly research the subject area and determine in which experiments would be most beneficial to perform to advance our understanding of cell biology.

I think the training has been really useful to my degree. Although the specifics of my research have not necessarily aligned with my degree curriculum, I think the and more general appreciation and understanding of pharmacological techniques and theory have been very beneficial, especially as I intend to pursue a relevant PhD in pharmacology upon completing my degree. The in vitro skills I have developed will be highly transferable to my intended career path.

Working in an open office environment has had its ups and downs. On one hand it has allowed for the close collaboration with many of my colleagues but on the other hand it does mean that it can be a little loud or intrusive when trying to concentrate. However, there has been a generally good work ethic/culture in the office; we all regularly met up outside of the office for coffee, meals or drinks.

The first few months of the placement eased us in to full-time scientific research. Initially it involved a lot of computer and practical based learning. This was good because it meant that all placement students were brought up to a similar level of understanding and gradually developed their independence prior to beginning the latter half of the placement. The remaining 8 months of the placement allowed each of us to develop more independence and confidence as we tackled our projects in addition to other programme responsibilities. Support has been offered continuously meaning that the structure of the placement allowed us to develop at our own pace.

I have had regular 1:1s with my placement supervisors (on a biweekly basis) where we have been able to discuss my lab work and focus on my personal development. This has kept me on track with regards to my performance whilst on the placement. Indeed, by doing this I have been able to develop to a great extent. I think the time and resource given to my development has been appropriate given the fact that I am only with the company for one year. However, I know that actual GSK employees have a formalised personal development plan (PDP) which is agreed upon with their manager and reviewed every few months. It would also be good if such plans were formalised for placement students as it may push them to achieve more than the current informal 'cacth-up chat' format.

I would certainly consider coming to work for GSK again, however, not necessarily within the same department. That is not by any means a negative reflection on the people I have worked with, the department, or the projects I have worked on. Rather, I have come to realise that my interests lie within other biological research fields, some of which GSK are also taking an interest in. That being said, I wouldn't have realised this without being exposed to so much great science whilst at GSK, whether it be through guest lectures, seminars or networking. Should GSK's research interests and opportunities still align with my own then I would certainly consider returning upon completing my PhD, it has been a great company to work for.

The social scene has been fantastic. Right from the start of the placement most of the students have been very close with each other and with staff. I think the frequency with which we have met up inside and especially outside of work bears testament to how close we all are as a department (no company mandated 'fun'). I was even been given the chance to organise a team building day for 22 people within my section which I think was a great opportunity and an event we all really enjoyed.

Being so close to London, the cost of living (particularly rent) and socialising has been noticeably higher than I have generally experienced whilst at University in Leeds. That being said, the fact that we get such a great wage as placement students has definitely counteracted this. By the end of this placement I think most people have been able to save several thousand pounds, something which will rarely happen whilst still at University!

I worked in Stevenage. Generally the surrounding pubs and restaurants have been pretty great, however, there is a lack of nice bars (Hitchin, just a 5 minute train journey has plenty of nice ones though). With regards to clubs, there are only two in Stevenage and neither of them are particularly great. Being so close to London has been fantastic though, it's only a 20 minute train journey from Stevenage and so if you want an immersive nightlife, and don't mind the travel, then you're truly spoilt for choice.

Most of the placement students have been very sociable. This has meant that any outside of work activities have been participated in on a group basis. There are quite a few good days out which are nearby including Cambridge, London, St Albans although the activities at these places mainly involve drinking and sightseeing. There are local athletics clubs and a lot of very good gyms too for those into their fitness. Stevenage also offers activities such as laser quest, crazy golf, trampolining and a cinema.