Geophysicist Review

From the first day until the last, I really felt like a valued member of the team with great support from a network of people. I was given the right amount of responsibility and guidance so that I could excel in my dissertation project that I was completing during the internship.

Everybody was very friendly and provided help and guidance whenever I had questions or queries. I gave presentations at multiple meetings where people could chip in and guide me towards useful information which made the project much more informative and successful. People also valued my input and advice and wanted to use conclusions from the project in future work which gave value to the project as a whole.

My supervisor had done a fantastic job of setting me up on Shell's internal systems with accounts, a laptop and desk space. They also provided technical assistance on a daily basis which was invaluable to the technical success of the project. Further assistance was provided by my mentor in a bi-weekly basis.

Very busy. The project demanded a lot technical work in a short space of time. I was also required to write a 15'000 word thesis before the end of the internship too. However, I always felt like there was enough time on a weekly basis to finish the tasks at hand and never had felt overloaded.

Much of the setting up and objectives of the project had been set up before my arrival. The nature of the topic was very open ended which meant that he technical work and results was very much down to me. whilst I wasn't running the show, I felt like it was the right amount of responsibilit as there was a framework of objectives that I could manoeuvre within to get the most from the project.

The skills learnt will help me adjust to working life in my new position within the company from a personal and technical point of view. In particular, having the experience of working on a producing field has given me invaluable practise conversing with people across disciplines and working on real dat.

People were very friendly and eager to help me out during the project. I was introduced to my team on the first day and got to know other members that worked within my discipline at later meetings. The atmosphere was positive but also quiet and respectful so that people could concentrate on their work.

Very well organised. I was given a work laptop and desk on my first day and had access to all the data needed within the first week. There was a clear timeline and objectives for the project as a whole which were updated regularly with my supervisor. I couldn't have asked for more.

I was given equal training and opportunities as the other graduates when suitable. The company arranged for a software developer to fly over and teach me how to use propriety software so that I could get up to speed quickly with technical work. Furthermore, I was able to visit other sites in the U.K. and attend a geology field trip during my internship.

After rigourous assessment I have been offered a place with Shell starting on 1st November 2018. Generally, there are good opportunities with the company if you pass assessments at this time. These are quite difficult to pass but are fair and to be expected at the final stage of recruitment.

There is an extensive grad network in Aberdeen which organises 2 events a month which gives people on placement the chance to meet new people easily. There are also plenty of sports clubs to join. In the geoscience community, there were field trips and barbecues allowing plenty of chances to integrate into the team well.

Cost of living is moderate. Rent and bills was ~£490 per month. Food shopping and clothes are the same price as anywhere in the U.K. Dinner ranges from ~£10 - £30 for a meal depending on whether you want pub grub or something nicer. Drinks are a bit more expensive (£3.50 - £6) than other U.K. cities.

Generally not too bad. It's not the most vibrant of cities with limited gigs, theatre or comedy shows. There are some decent nightclubs in the town centre but not a massive amount. Definitely not a thriving music scene like glasgow, but enough to stop you from getting bored at the weekend.

Plenty. I played football once a week with occasional matches on Thursdays and Fridays too. There's also golf every other Monday, a squash league, basketball on Tuesdays and tennis too. There's a gym on site which offers free classes every weekday as well as three free personal trainer sessions a week.