Project Management Intern Review

The work was fairly enjoyable on a day-to-day basis, and working in an office with 15 other interns made things fairly fun. I had to write a fairly long report throughout the 12 weeks which wasn't very entertaining, but also did a lot of other work such as arranging and attending meetings/research etc and preparing/presenting presentations

There were a lot of people in the office who were interested in what we were doing. We held weekly update presentations to keep people informed of our progress, and these were usually well attended. We also presented our project to some more senior employees within IBM and they made time in their busy schedules to listen to us and hear about what we were doing.

Lots of support was available whenever it was needed. Our team worked fairly independently, but it is very reassuring to know there are people there to speak to if you need. The open door policy at IBM is exceptional and the support from not only managers, but everyone else, was incredible.

We worked standard working hours, but we got a lot done within this time. There were some times that were very busy, when preparing for a demonstration or a presentation, but there were other times which were a bit more relaxed. There was always something to be doing, and we were generally left to divide the workload between the team ourselves, which worked out well for us.

I was project manager for the team, and therefore given a huge amount of responsibility. From the 2nd day we were in the office without any management and given complete reign over the direction and scope of the project, with any management interaction really set up by myself.

A huge amount of responsibility and skills learnt relating to project management, particularly due to being able to work alongside a number of other students who were also project managing their teams. I also feel that my presenting skills have come on a great deal, as have my ability to write reports and emails. In addition, an understanding of how to conduct meetings, research etc will benefit me hugely in a future career.

The 16 interns (4 teams) all worked in an open plan office. Although sometimes it might have become a bit noisy, there was generally a great atmosphere in the room, and it was useful to have people nearby to help you try and solve a problem if you got stuck. We did get on with work and were responsible for what we produced, but still also had time for a laugh and some fun every day.

Fantastically well organised, with a plethora of support offered and everything ready for us. The only thing that stops this being a 10 is that we spent most of the 2nd day setting up our laptops, which could have arguably been done in advance. There was a short induction at the start that all the interns had to do, and after that we got frequent communication via email about any events and other things happening. It was well organised.

Training wise we didn't receive a huge amount, other than press training. The opportunities to learn about new things are there though, but it is up to the student to go and find them. We were given chance to learn new things though and develop general skills, so still very good. I feel more development would come on a grad scheme though, as training time is limited when you are only on a project for 12 weeks.

The year before all 16 interns were offered a job. We have unoffically been told that this is likely to be the case again, so whilst I can't say for sure, I am quietly confident of being offered access to a wide range of jobs within IBM. I hope to reapply since I enjoyed my time here and it was a really great place to work.

Fantastic social scene. IBM put us up in halls all together (which they paid for). This meant we could socialise regularly, including pub trips, nights out, pub quiz, football, tennis, volleyball, bbq and many more. The social scene is all there for you, so it is really up to you what you make of it!

Winchester is an expensive area to live, but as IBM paid for accommodation I really have no complaints. I learned how to manage my money better though, and since I was living with another intern, we managed our finances well I thought. Overall IBM was paying enough to cover the cost of living during the internship.

Limited nightlife in Winchester, but Southampton is only a 15 minute taxi away. Winchester was good for regular pub trips and that sort of thing though, just a limited club scene. Sometimes we used to go out for team dinner and drinks after. However Southampton has a better nightlife and everyone has something to do.

We chose to play football once a week, but that was about it. There are definitely more opportunities, but as I say, the 6 of us lived together so didn't feel the need to get involved in too much with wider groups. There were quite a few networking opportunities outside of work and I managed to build quite a good network up from these events. I went out with the interns on occasions as well and this was good to get to know them better.