Facades Intern Review

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my eight weeks with the company - I was given a range of tasks and challenges that I would not normally get the opportunity to look at through university studies, and everyone I spoke to was extremely friendly. I was never afraid to ask questions - everyone was very willing to help out if I encountered any difficulties.

I felt very valued by my colleagues - I was given relatively high levels of responsibility in some of the work I was doing, and everyone was friendly and encouraging. I was also given frequent feedback on the work that I was producing, and overall a lot of time was dedicated to teaching me about façade engineering.

Throughout my placement I was given plenty of support and guidance by both my manager and my team. I was given a personal introduction to the discipline I was working in, and whenever I looked at a new topic, it was explained thoroughly beforehand. Feedback was also given on work I completed.

I always had tasks to complete throughout my internship. Inevitably, the first week was slightly quieter and based around completing health and safety and learning procedures, however, for the rest of the internship the work was discipline specific. I also had tasks that were non-time dependent so if I ever found myself light on work there was something to look at.

I worked on a range of current projects, producing work that would be submitted to clients. I was given the same levels of responsibility as a graduate engineer, and always felt like I was valued and that the work that I was completing would be a valuable asset to the team.

Overall, I developed many skills throughout the internship that I would not have the opportunity to at university. I was taught and developed my software skills (especially Structural Analysis), but the internship also reinforced the learning from my university course. I will be able to transfer the skills from the internship back to my final year university project.

The atmosphere in the office was the perfect balance. It was not complete silence, but it was quiet enough that it was not at all distracting. Everyone was very friendly and this contributed to the overall atmosphere within the office.

The internship was extremely well set up (compared to a previous experience I had). On arrival on my first day, I was introduced to a few other interns starting at the same time in other disciplines and was given an information pack which was extremely useful. Tasks were also clearly planned for me over the course of the eight weeks.

Throughout the internship, one of the aspects I valued the most was the time dedicated to my personal training and development. I was never afraid to ask for help if I encountered something which I had not before, and rather than a quick answer, I was generally met with a thorough explanation of the topic - this was extremely beneficial for my understanding.

I will be applying for a graduate position with the firm starting next year, I have frequently been told that internships are used as an extended interview for graduate jobs so am hoping that this will be successful. I think the major advantage of the internship has been learning the fundamentals of the discipline.

Whilst I did not participate in some activities as I was already busy outside of working hours, there would have been plenty of opportunities to get involved. There were an enormous variety of events, and a wide range of clubs, so there would be something for everybody to get involved in!