Business Undergrad Intern Review

I've had some great experiences and a lot of the people I've worked with have been brilliant. Most of the work I felt was rewarding, but some managers did shift their admin work on to me, and as an intern trying to establish a reputation it's difficult to say no. Overall I've had fun.

By my immediate team I felt quite valued, and when I had accomplished something significant I think it was mostly noticed. A lot of my work consisted of lots of small basic tasks and wasn't that difficult, so I didn't always feel people realised how much effort I put into everything.

When my managers thought I needed help they were great, but we weren't co-located which meant there was a disconnect and they didn't always know what I was up to, but I also didn't feel like it was worth telling them everything I was doing. I think overall managers were keen to help and make sure I was happy.

I regularly worked overtime and through lunch, which I was happy to do to an extent when I felt the work was meaningful and it meant I got to experience a lot in my placement. Most interns have a good balance and I definitely took on too many optional tasks, but even with my mandatory work I felt I had too much on my plate and was spread a bit thin.

I think I had a great deal of responsibility which was brilliant when things went well as it was mostly because of my work, but not so good when it went badly! I worked independently quite a lot, and I liked setting my own deadlines and working on projects without being micro-managed.

I don't think I learned anything significant but I think it was good to experience a large company and get used to a corporate environment. I didn't have time to make the most of educational extras but I would 100% recommend them to other people, there's a huge amount of learning content that you probably wouldn't have access to in other companies.

My office was a bit quiet, and skewed fairly young so it was relaxed and casual. People seemed positive and keen to help/get involved in things when needed. I enjoyed being in the office and the facilities were pretty good, we also worked from home every so often which was great.

Once you've started it's really well organsied, the only reason I detracted stars is that when you get your offer you don't know so much about the role as it's liable to change. It means you feel a bit uncertain about starting and I couldn't develop any skills beforehand which I think could have been useful.

I don't think there was a significant budget for intern training which is kind of understandable but I wish there was one. My work didn't really require technical know-how so any personal training or development would have been surperflous but I think I would have enjoyed it and it might have given me a wider skillset.

I am hoping to come back but I don't know how likely it is. The graduate scheme is varied and there are a few routes to go down, and I've enjoyed working at a tech firm so far. I think the grad scheme is far better in terms of salary and work so I'd be happy to return.

Great social scene among placement students, it was a good crowd of people and we were all in the same boat when we started so we bonded quickly. Didn't really have a huge social side with non placement colleagues but most other interns did and they enjoyed it, and felt an effort was made to include them.

It was quite expensive and I think the salary is poor compared to other tech firms, which is disappointing and makes you feel the overtime isn't worth it. Ultimately I've managed to save a little from the year and I've enjoyed it, but I think I could have earned more at other firms I looked at.

There are loads, this is one thing IBM is incredible for. Giveback (helping out with other IBMers, normally in the local community) is massive and my manager was keen for me to get involved whenever it worked around my schedule. It's a great way to meet new people, explore some more and feel like you're contributing to something bigger.