Summer Internship Review

I enjoyed my placement at MBDA a lot. My colleagues were all very friendly and provided help/guidance with the work whenever required. The work itself was interesting and challenging without being unmanageable. My placement was for 10 weeks (although 11 or 12 weeks were also available) which was a good amount of time to start a project that was valued by the company.

I was treated just like everyone else at the company and got on with the rest of my team really well. I also felt that I was doing work that was going to be of value to them once I had left and was not doing something they had just made up for me to fill my placement.

I got on well with my manager. Informal discussions about the work I was doing were regular and very helpful as guidance throughout the project. There were not really any formal meetings but I liked this style since I felt more like part of the team of people I was working with.

Work load could vary but there was always something to do. It was also nice that I had more than one task going at any time so that I could manage my time and get things done without feeling the work was too monotonous. I was never so rushed that I didn't have time for a cup of tea which was nice!

I felt the amount of responsibility was just right for a summer placement. I was doing work that was not crucial to the projects they were running, but could provide a good insight into what they were doing and would be carried on by one of my colleagues after I left.

The training I received will be very valuable in my degree. I had the opportunity to apply some theory learnt during my degree to applications for the company. It was also very useful to see what a career in engineering will involve and which skills companies would value the most.

The office had a nice atmosphere. It was not painfully quiet but still easy to get work done. People would often take tea breaks together which was a nice way to get to know everyone. Everything was kept nicely and the office is organised in a way that makes it easy to talk to other people on your team.

Organisation was good but could have been improved. The communication before joining could have been better. I had a few questions I wanted to ask before my first day and I had to chase them about giving me a 'buddy' - someone who you can email before you arrive. This had already been sorted out they had just forgotten to actually put us in contact before I emailed about it.

Considering I was only there 10 weeks I had several opportunities to obtain training. I was able to attend a session about a slightly different role in the department which was interesting and a member of my team spent quite a long time showing me how to use some of the software effectively.

I am definitely interested in joining their graduate scheme or working for them at some point during my career. Not only is the work interesting but the company seems to have good benefits in place for full time employees. Having met the people there and found that they are very friendly and welcoming also makes a job here appealing.

There was the opportunity to meet more of the summer placement students (although I think this was set up by other placement students and not the company) during lunch breaks. I was also sat next to a year long placement student who was on my team. I could have met more of the other placement students if I had wanted but chose to spend time with other people in my department more.

Bristol can be very expensive, especially accommodation. However the company does set up Facebook pages where you can contact other placements to share accommodation. I think they also contact UWE about letting placements stay in any spare uni accommodation over the summer, which might be a cheaper alternative. Cost of food etc. is pretty standard for a city.

Bristol city centre is easily accessible by bus so there was plenty to do (both nightlife and at weekends).

There was a networking event being run during my placement. From this I think there is the opportunity to play in sports teams with your colleagues, learn languages and also do charity events. I think if you were here for more than a summer placement there would be lots of things to get involved in.