Analytical Industrial Placement Student Review

My placement at AstraZeneca was such a valuable experience that I would recommend to anyone. The work environment of the company is fantastic and everyone I encountered was helpful, welcoming and kind. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.

Even as a placement student, I felt highly valued by my team and others in the department. My lack of knowledge was not viewed as a negative, but rather as an opportunity for learning and they helped to develop me both as a person and as a scientist.

My manager and direct supervisors did give me guidance and support, but I received the bulk of my instruction from other members of my team and the department, as their specialties allowed. This enabled me to get to know my team better and understand many different aspects of the industry.

There was always plenty of work to do, and my supervisor ensured that I did not take on too much at the beginning of my placement, after which I learned to self-moderate and balance my own workload as appropriate.

At the beginning of my placement I was given low impact tasks so I could develop my skills, but at the end, I was given tasks that directly influenced manufacture and development decisions, and the work I did was relied upon by other members of my team.

The scientific discipline and skills I learned at AstraZeneca, as well as my exposure to a corporate environment, will enhance my performance at university and in the job market in the future. However, I think the teamwork, communication skills, and confidence I gained during my placement will prove to be the most impactful and will assist me not only in the coming years, as I graduate and search for a job, but throughout the rest of my life.

My team was very productive and dedicated to completing assignments well, however, everyone always had time to stop and answer another team member's question or have a conversation about something else. The atmosphere was productive but fun; as a team, we would eat and laugh together at lunch or, occasionally, play lawn games out on the grass.

Every stage of my placement, most notably induction and initial training was very streamlined and well organized. The onboarding team was responsive and helpful at answering questions and ensured that we had everything we needed to learn about the company and be successful employees at AZ.

I was trained in the theory and operation every technique I was likely to encounter in the course of my job and was able to sign up to many personal development courses to gain soft skills. My team invested their time and effort in developing me by meeting with me to answer my questions and help me to become a better scientist. I was very impressed by the extent to which my company invested in me, especially given the fact that I was only a temporary employee.

Very appealing! I would love to get a job with this company after graduation, and I would highly recommend them to anyone I know.

The placement students all bonded extremely well and had many social gatherings and events throughout the year such as hiking, running a half marathon, picnics in the local park, and celebrating various birthdays and holidays. My team was also very social; on top of the standard Christmas meal, we had a sports competition with another team that lasted throughout my placement. Additionally, there was a good social scene within the department which played out in cake rotas on each floor, groups that met outside of work to do activities, and company sponsored social events.

The cost of living was very reasonable where I lived (especially in comparison to the high-rent area that I had previously lived in). As far as socialising goes, I found it very affordable as I do not drink, however, the other placement students who do drink would say that the price socialising was reasonable and only expensive in a few different locations.

The town I lived in has numerous pubs and two different clubs, although I was told that neither of these is very good. The other placement students enjoyed and frequented these locations, and even I, as a non-drinker liked attended the group events we had in town. Our location was also near to a large city, which offered the option of a better nightlife scene.

There were so many opportunities! My company had many employee-run groups that met outside of work, such as cycling, hill walking, beekeeping, and visiting ethnic restaurants. On top of that, the town had many activities such as the local theater group, sports teams, and volunteering opportunities.