Undergraduate R&D Scientist Review

I really enjoyed my time at Pall, my work was varied with a combination of practical lab work, report/presentation writing and attending meetings. I was involved in a wide variety of projects and felt that the work I was doing was greatly contributing to the company, rather than being assigned projects specifically for interns.

I felt very valued by my colleagues and was welcomed as a member of the team immediately. Everyone was very friendly, and were happy to help me if I had a problem or question. I received recognition for the work I did and felt like a valued member of the team.

I received support and guidance from my managers regularly, and whenever I asked for help. I was able to ask questions whenever I was unsure of something, and things were explained to me thoroughly.

Most days I had a sufficient amount of work to do. I was busy without feeling stressed and was given plenty of time to complete tasks well. There were occasions where work was a little slow but this did not happen regularly and I was assigned extra projects or side tasks if project work had slowed down.

I was given large amounts of responsibility during my placement but didn't feel stressed or worried about it. I was able to significantly contribute to projects and was able to help with one of the community groups to welcome new employees. The work I completed was used in presentations and meetings and I felt like the contributions I made were useful to the team.

I received large amounts of training while on my placement which I will be able to use in my university studies and in future jobs. I have been able to greatly improve my presentation skills through practice and a training session, as well as receiving a practice interview to assist me during graduate job applications and assessments. I also was able to participate in Excel training courses, and project management training.

Very laid back and relaxed atmosphere in the office with people regularly talking with each other and interacting outside of their project team or department. We would regularly talk together both about the work we were doing and about other things. There were also times where a large group would be able to talk in the kitchen area and everyone was very easy to talk to.

Well organised internship program with a monthly "Breakfast Club" meeting. In these meeting all of the interns from different departments would meet up and two of them would give a presentation on the work they had been doing. We would also have a presentation from a member of staff from a different department each month, detailing their career path and what they did day to day.

I had lots of opportunities for training and development on my placement, and the company invested a lot in this. I was able to travel to a manufacturing site in Ilfracombe twice during my placement, as well as completing several training courses. I felt that the company valued me as an intern and wanted to give me as much as they could during my time with them.

The company does have a graduate scheme that I am interested in applying for later this year, and I have been encouraged to do so. I have been able to speak with the current graduates on this scheme in depth about what they are doing and I intend to apply once applications open for these positions.

We were able to meet up once a month during out Breakfast Club and therefore we got to know each other quite well during this time. Despite being in very different jobs, we met up fairly often outside of work. The Breakfast Club was very successful as we would otherwise have not met as often as we did.

I lived at home during my placement year so can not comment on the cost of living but socialising was fairly cheap. Some areas were more expensive, but, especially being a city with a large University, most places were well priced and I was able to socialise without worrying about money.

The nightlife is very student based so outside of term time it can be quite quiet, especially in the city center. The nicer areas are also very expensive, but are definitely worth the price you pay. The cheaper clubs/bars in the city center can feel a little ropey and are not somewhere I would recommend.

Quite a few opportunities outside of work, especially sports based activities. They have started doing more community based activities such as beach cleaning and helping plant community gardens which is good to see. There was also a Summer Fete during July which allowed everyone to take some time away from work during the day and enjoy activities outside.