Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year at Samsung Electronics UK. Having no previous corporate experience, the prospect of joining such a large and successful company was daunting. However, upon reaching the end of my year at Samsung I feel that the year has developed me personally and professionally as well as allowing me to make some great friends.

My colleagues at Samsung and especially in my team as well as my fellow placement students made a great effort to make me feel valued and comfortable during my placement year. As there were frequent work drinks and dinner opportunities, there was always a good chance to network with your team and make friends.

I was given an overlying line manager for the duration of my placement year who I would have monthly catch ups with. As my placement was rotational, I would have weekly catch ups with the manager who was the head of the rotation during that time. These catch ups discussed how I was getting on and if I needed any support.

This was dependant on the rotation I was in. In most of my rotations I had a perfect amount of work to complete - not too overpowering but never sat looking for stuff to do. I would say I was in the stretch zone as opposed to the stress zone - the perfect area to be for optimum output and motivation.

Again, this was dependant on the rotation I was doing. In one of my rotations I ended up being given a great deal of responsibility due to people leaving the team. In my other rotations, I was busy but did not have too much responsibility, this was because the work was rather delicate and would have major implications if mistakes were made.

Before my placement year at Samsung, my organisation, time management and professional skills were all in need of improvement. Looking back at the year, I can clearly see that I have developed all of these skills to the extent where they will assist me greatly in my final year at university.

The atmosphere in the office, especially in an environment as hectic as Samsung, was genuinely very exciting and motivating to be surrounded by. As there are always launches of new devices and campaigns, it is always very busy and lively around the office. Everyone is passionate about their work and it only inspires you to be your best at work.

The placement scheme at Samsung Electronics is extremely well set up in my opinion. From day 1 it feels structured in a way that it's only intention is to set you up for success. The induction we received allowed us to get a deep understanding of the company and the teams as well as meet and network with all of our fellow graduates and interns.

I believe in terms of personal training and development, the company invested a fair amount. In previous years, Samsung had not offered development workshop opportunities to placement students. However, this year was the first year that they allowed placements to receive training and development workshops to help them to further develop in the professional world.

Future employment prospects for a placement student are as good as you make them really. If you enjoy your year at Samsung a lot, you can reapply for a graduate role once you have finished university. However, it is not guaranteed you will get the role as you will have to go through the application process again .

Yes I would say there was a very good social scene amongst fellow placements and grads. From day one we were introduced to each other and given the chance to network and get to know each other. We had frequent nights out with each other and also attended after work sports clubs together.

For me, the cost of living and socialising in the are I worked in was not too bad as I was living with my Mum. Chertsey is a fairly expensive area and pubs will charge £5 for a pint. The grounds are located in a business park off the m25 and so commuting can be expensive.

Unfortunately, the nightlife where the office is located is virtually non-existent. The closest pub which is convenient is by Weybridge train station and this is one of the most expensive pubs in the area. There is virtually no scope for a 'cheeky' pint after work as everywhere can only be reached by car.

Yes there were a fair amount of opportunities to get involved with outside of daily work. These included the after work football club of which I regularly attended as well as volunteering days that Samsung pay for you to go on (a great initiative). Coupled with this are the business off-sites that everyone is invited to which all us to be notified of business updates.