Industrial Placement Student Review
by GSK
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
4.7
-
The Company
4.1
-
The Culture
2.0
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
Great company to work for, lots of insight into different aspects of pharmaceutical development. Really nice people and very interesting work within the lab. Never boring.
I felt that people actually listened to and valued my input into many topics. Lots of work was done to make me and other IPs feel welcome and wel supported by others in the office and lab.
Supervisors, managers and other scientists gave lots of guidance, including many training sessions and meetings specifically aimed at IPs and helping with their future careers and studies.
Kept quite busy with lab work a lot of the time, but always had enough time to get things done and written up. Some days very very busy, others quiet.
Initially lots of supervision with all tasks, but once we felt competent to complete things alone, we were able to do that and design out own experiments etc. It was very easy to gain more responsibility once you'd had initial training.
Really helpful in terms of lab work, scientific writing, data analysis etc. But also lots of help with more generally applicable skills like presenting work, team work, time management etc.
The Company
A bit too open plan for me to work at my best to be honest. Often quite noisy and distracting, but for most people this probably wouldn't be an issue. I work better in quieter areas. Everyone was always friendly and approachable though.
Very well organised once we arrived here. GSK had lots of training and talks and also socials to help us get to know each other and other staff here. Less well organised before we arrived though, SRG, our agency, were a bit harder to get info from.
Lots of help with training in the lab and outside, in terms of writing and data analysis. Lots of lectures and talks from various scientists working on different things. Lots of events for us to present our work at.
Subsidised Canteen
Sports and Social Club
Subsidised/Company Gym
Company Parties/Events
Staff Sales/Staff Shop
Working from home
I'd be very keen to work at GSK again, I think they are a great employer and have lots of opportunities for scientific work in various areas.
The Culture
There were a number of socials organised, but mostly revolved around pubs and clubs, which might not suit everyone. Also usually on a work night, so not the most convenient.
Very expensive, as close to London. Housing is expensive, trips out and transport as well.
Stevenage has very little in terms of nightlife. However, it is close to London, which is expensive but has lots to do.
Voluntary work on Orange Days, lots of activities such as sport clubs etc. Socials every month.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
South East
July 2019
