Service Delivery Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement. The work I did was challenging but manageable. I had some excellent colleagues who I will definitely miss. Everyone was very supportive and created an environment where I did not feel too afraid to ask questions, no matter how silly I thought they may have been.

I felt very valued by my colleagues, they were very supportive and helpful. My colleagues were one of the main reasons I enjoyed my placement so much. As I was given different responsibilities, I felt very valued as I felt as though I was an essential part of the team.

My manager was excellent. He made it clear from the start that he was just as keen for me to learn as I was. If I had any questions, I knew I could go to him for the answers without feeling embarrassed. If I ever made a mistake, he did not 'tell me off' but pointed out my error and told me what I should have done differently.

I had some days where I did not have much to do, although it was possible to create jobs for myself that would be beneficial to my learning, e.g. rebuilding Excel reports so I could understand how they worked. However, most days I had plenty to do and it was a great opportunity to work on my prioritization skills.

I was given lots of responsibility, which I was actually very surprised about. When I started my placement I was half expecting to be doing a lot of tea runs! I was responsible for sending out many reports (and creating them), I led team Skype calls on a couple of occasions, and more.

As I am studying for a Business degree, the skills I gained and developed in the office environment have been very useful to me, particularly as I worked for such a large organisation. I gained a Business understanding that I do not think would have been possible had I only been looking in textbooks.

I worked with a great team of people that made it easy for me to come into work every day! It was nice to be able to have a joke with my colleagues too. I worked in a very small office, so we knew each other well. I was lucky to have such a great atmosphere within my office on my placement year.

From the job offer and throughout my whole placement, everything was very well organised and I always knew what was expected of me. There was a lot to do in terms of my on-boarding process, but there was a portal so I knew exactly what I had done and what needed to be done.

There were lots of intern events that I could have participated in, although I could not always make it. For example, there have been CV guidance talks and Career Opportunity events. In terms of personal development, I represented GE at a couple of Careers' Fairs which helped my confidence a lot. In terms of training, there were online courses I had to complete, for example Quality training.

I would definitely consider working with GE Healthcare again as I have had such an enjoyable experience. I was lucky enough to be based locally to my home during my placement year, although I knew from the outset that a job would not be available at this location at the end of the year (as the site is such a small one). The only thing that puts me off is the commute I would have to do everyday to Amersham.

There was always something going on that was arranged by the other interns, although I did not always partake as I was based quite a distance away from the rest of them. We all got together at Christmas and for a leaving do. With my office colleagues, we went out for dinner at Christmas and had a Summer BBQ.

The cost of living and socializing is not particularly high in the area I was in. Although I grew up in the area so it was what I was used to anyway. It's definitely much cheaper than London, but quite a bit more expensive than up North (particularly when renting).

I worked near the local University so I know there was quite a good nightlife, although I went out closer to home instead. On the occasions I did go out local to where I work, the nightlife was good. If the interns arranged to go out, it would have been in London.

The other interns from the other GE Healthcare sites often organised events for all of us to get together. Most of the activities involved going into London as all of the other interns were based in Amersham.