Data Analyst Review

The finance work placement has been one of the best experiences throughout my time at university. Working at GSK I was able to learn a lot about the different departments within the company and how the business functions. During the time I was able to explore the areas of the business that interested me most, network with colleagues within those areas and attend many great workshops.

My colleagues always made sure that I felt integrated within the team, treating me the same as any other employee. I was given the same kind of opportunities, if not more, to enhance my skills and learn about the company which really helped to boost the feeling that you are valued within the company.

At the beginning of the placement I was given all the support I needed - firstly by the previous placement students, who handed over their tasks and secondly by my manager, who arranged multiple one on one meetings to go through all the details and requirements of the job and for me to ask any questions. As the placement went on I was able to always ask for help from my manager if it was needed, we would have regular catch ups and quarterly meetings to set my goals for the next few months.

Overall, the workload was average and did not feel overwhelming. Some periods were slower, where there wasn't that much to do - especially at the beginning of the placement - however mid-way through and towards the end it got a lot busier, I was never sat at my desk with nothing to do.

The amount of responsibility I was given increased over time. For the first few months, whilst I was still learning, the tasks given to me were easier, with less responsibility. After I reached a good level of understanding of what I was doing I made sure to ask my manager to give me more complex tasks and the responsibility level increased.

The skills I have developed over the course of the placement will be very beneficial for my future career. I've learned to network, got a better understanding at how a vast corporation works, improved my excel and reporting skills, which all are highly useful at university, but more importantly in the working world.

Everyone was very friendly, approachable and ready to help if needed. The overall atmosphere is relaxed, being at work never felt exceptionally stressful. There would often be various company events happening, such as volunteering, site visits, team away days etc. These activities were welcomed by everyone and made the working week a lot more exciting.

The work placement was organised quite well - from the induction day to the end we had constant communication and support from the agency employing the students, with many training sessions on topics such as how to get the most out of the year and how to boost your employability. There was a group of students elected at the start of the year to organise events, workshops, help with dissertations and spread any important information around. What each of us did during the placement highly depended on the team and the manager, however we were always encouraged to ask for support and advice whenever needed or if something was not satisfactory.

Personal training and development was available to most, however it was vital to show initiative and often ask to get included in any training you were interested in. I personally got to partake in project management training, which I found to be highly useful. Overall, I felt that there were more training opportunities offered to IT placement students and being in the finance placement I felt that I did not get the same kind of experience.

The company has a lot of opportunities for future employment, whether via a graduate scheme or a direct entry role. Additionally, there is a great variety of roles/ areas of business available due to the size of the company, making it much more attractive. However, placement students do not receive an advantage against any other applicants when applying for graduate roles, unlike in many other companies.

The social scene among fellow colleagues was great - during my time here the team would be constantly going out for drinks and socialising. Placement students were not as active, although there were occasional social events held, on top of the traditional bigger events such as the Christmas Ball or the Boat Party.

Seeing as the company is in London, the cost of living and socialising is quite steep. Renting out a room in this area (West London) is fairly expensive, however that is expected if you live in London. Same goes for socialising, a night out can cost anything above £30 and that is if you are not planning to stay out for long.

The nightlife in London is pretty great, there are so many good events happening every weekend, it can be hard to choose. That is definitely by far one of the best aspects of working in London - the variety of things to do and places to go makes the time here really enjoyable.

There were a fair amount of things to do outside of work, whether it would be with placement students or colleagues from my team. This included socialising events, sports, volunteering, etc. We were able to organise some of these events ourselves, which added value to the overall placement experience and made it more exciting.