Technology Intern Review

I really enjoyed the placement and felt happy to be there. The company is full of extremely welcoming people and people that are very happy to make time for you. I felt like I quickly learnt new skills and my team were extremely good at not making me feel like I was being a burden on them every time I asked them a question.

I feel like my team really valued me and supported me in what I was doing. They quickly got me up to the level where I was able to contribute towards the work that they were doing and help them to meet their deadlines. Much better than fetching teas and coffees!

My line manager supported me from the start of the internship and, despite never managing an intern before, he helped me with any admin and managed to support me. They would always make sure I had the right tools for the task that I had been given and they would never ask me to start working on something until they knew that I understood what was required from me.

My team kept me busy with the on-going work that they were required to do however there was often times were I finished tasks and had gaps in my work. In the first few weeks this was okay because there was also admin work required from me that could fill in the gaps but later on in the internship it was trickier to find small fillers.

I was very pleased to be treated as a full member of my team from when I arrived. My line manager had sorted out all of the required permissions prior to me starting, so I could straight away work on their projects as if I was a full time member of staff.

As I am studying a for a maths degree at university, my role, a software tester, did not contribute directly towards my degree studies. However I learnt, in a very welcoming environment, how to work as part of a small team within a big organisation. I also developed my communication skills as I had to speak to people from other departments.

The office had a very friendly and welcoming environment. Despite being a very welcoming place it was also extremely professional when it needed to be. The staff all had a good work life balance and enjoyed talking about things from out-with work which made me feel more welcomed. They were also always up for a coffee.

The overall internship was well organised. The first two days of our placement we had a company wide induction which also welcomed interns from offices in different cities. They sent lots of communication out prior to this as well so we knew exactly what to expect on our first day.

My team were always happy for me to be learning other skills as well as ones that directly impacted the work that I was doing with them. They didn't mind if I shadowed other departments and took part in workshops. There was also a wide range of online tutorials available to me throughout the internship

As the company is so big, the future prospects are extremely promising. As well as lots of managerial roles, sideways movement seems common, so there is always an opportunity to try something new. There are so many business areas and different job roles available, with lots of roles accepting internal applications.

The group of interns all had a great time together! Edinburgh is such a great city with so much to do in the summer. There was socials planned most evenings and all of the other interns were really friendly and easy to get to know. It was great being in a company with so many other interns starting at the same time.

I am originally from the city I was working in so it was easy for me to move back into home and have a commute from there. The transport is however quite expensive and I've heard this is the same as accommodation, because of the Fringe, Edinburgh's summer festival. The bars seemed quite expensive.

There was lots of bars and clubs near the centre of town but not many in the area the workplace was. There was also lots of things to get involved in on the weekends, such as walks and touristy things to see. There is lots of cinemas, both near the workplace and in the city centre.

Yes, there are always things on in Edinburgh, especially during august when the festival is on. Many venues have free comedy shows and there are always street performers to see as well. the company organised some welcome events for the interns however they didn't organise much throughout the placement. This was okay though because we organised activities ourselves.