Power Academy Scholar Review

I enjoyed my placement area and found it very applicable to my degree and my future career. I enjoyed the community amoungst the interns and appreciated the week of training we had to get to know one another before entering the workplace. The team I was on was incredibly nice and it was very interesting to see their daily jobs.

My colleagues were lovely and very welcoming. I had several update sessions with the team that my project was supposed to be aiding and they were all very interested. I was invited to all the team's update meetings and they were more than happy to answer questions or explain unfamiliar concepts.

My desk was right next to my managers and I was able to ask questions whenever I needed to. Lots of guidance was given from HR on the assessment process. Due to recent company splits, our business manager was not placed in the same side of the company which made sorting things like expenses or payroll numbers was inconvenient.

I had an overarching project that I was planning myself. I was allowed to manage my own time and working hours were flexible. I was not constantly being requested to do things by other people due to the nature of my project. It did mean I only had myself to blame when things needed to be rushed to meet deadlines.

I was given a reasonable amount of responsibility on the project. It was new area that had not been explored yet within existing software. I identified some key issues with certain areas of the material I was given to work with and the department were appreciative of the feedback. The project despite being left unfinished is being carried on when I leave, so my work felt like it was valued.

Seeing as I was on a programme that catered specifically for my degree, the work being carried out was incredibly relevant. I was given experience and support using industry software. I was also given the opportunity to gain an understanding of how the business works. We were given the chance to work on personal strengths and weaknesses that were defined in the Personal Development Plan.

The office atmosphere in general was relaxed. Hours were flexible and there was a company BBQ not too long after we arrived. Even in the face of quite a large media storm about the company, the office itself remained calm and collected. Everyone was friendly and they were in no way patronizing to any of the interns.

The internship was relatively well organized. There were lots of internal issues that had not been considered before the company split which made some aspects of the placement more difficult than it should have been. Laptops were not properly organized and payroll numbers were not given out until at least a week into placement.

The company gave a whole week of training at their assessment centre. They emphasised personal development and completing this section early can lead to being accepted onto their graduate scheme. Development is always at the forefront of your time there and managers make an effort to regularly discuss it with you.

The graduate scheme seems particularly interesting. I had plenty off opportunities to ask people what they thought of it and it seems like an excellent opportunity. It also is a year and a half of well paid work, with plenty of opportunity to explore multiple areas of the business. I would definitely consider it.

Yes, the Power Academy scholars went out every weekend and went out for drinks once or twice during the week. People made an effort with one another and occasionally went on day trips together. There was also the IET dinner which allowed lots of mingling with fellow Power Academy companies. The team I was on was primarily made up of older colleagues so they did not have an social events.

The cost of living was not particularly high, it was not difficult to find rooms on spare room. The cost of socializing varied depending on where you were going but it was not too expensive. London was also not particularly far away so trips to there were taken quite often.

The nightlife while there was limited. There were a lot of nice bars, that were quite expensive. Some of the nigh clubs were decent and affordable but occasionally would be completely empty. Most of the time it was cheaper to drink in someone's flat before going out. The Wetherspoon's was an easy option.

You could get involved in the company's activism groups, but it was not seen to be worthwhile due to the very short nature of the placement. While team building outside of work was supposed to occur, it was not scheduled during my placement. Other teams in the department had events planned so it might just have been team specific.