Diesel Calibration Engineer Review

Days were good, but the wide variety of teams and tasks meant that I ended up in a team I initially did not want to be in, with a task which didn't excite me. Despite this, the occasional trip onto the track, or elsewhere in the site did make it more exciting

I honestly don't think I will be missed, at least half the time I did not feel valued, or like they even realised I was there. Instead, I got the feeling I was actively a burden to my colleagues at times since I was regularly asking them for work to do, and not receiving any

Guidance from managers and mentors was very good, but I did feel at times the number of questions I asked did annoy them since I was unable to do what they might deem "simple" tasks as it was unlike anything I would have done at uni. Despite this, I kept asking questions

I spent at least 3 weeks begging people for work to do and being told in return they had nothing to offer me (despite people clearly being busy). This could be because as a 3 month undergraduate, I did not have the required skills, or time, to dedicate to any task they might give me

I felt like nothing important in my working day was entrusted to me to complete. However I was given the opportunity to drive a few different cars, so I must have been at least partially trusted with what is at times a very expensive vehicle and thus this is a sense of responsibility.

The placement area I was assigned to (powertrain) was completely unrelated to my 3rd and 4th year university projects and my main interest (vibrations and suspension). As a result, I did feel at times that this was a waste of time for my academic life, but it did confirm to me that JLR as a company is the one I would like to work for in my future career, but I would like to try other departments before settling

The atmosphere was professional, as I might have expected, most of the time. Whilst initially I felt it was quite cold aimed towards me, this is simply because people didn't know me. Early in the internship, one of the members arranged a bowling night for everyone, which helped me to get to know my colleagues better. After this the atmosphere improved

Initially, the placement seemed very badly organised. All of the initial communications were very delayed in arriving with me, and as a result I initially felt left behind. When on the internship, things did improve a little, but none of the events promised originally were really started early enough for 3 monthers to join in. Hence it still was quite badly organised

I was given a very expensive laptop to use, and was allowed to sign up for all manner of different training schemes and learning opportunities for free. As a result of this, I would say that the business invested heavily in the undergraduate cohort, despite recent profit losses and budget cuts

They are very appealing to work for as a company. Whilst I personally was not initially happy with my assigned department, I decided that it was a good chance to get experience of an area of the business that I might not have originally chosen. The chance of doing a grad scheme here to experience even more of the business is yet more appealing

I would say that the vast majority of the social scene seemed to revolve around drinking. Not being a drinker myself, I didn't find this to be particularly appealing. But as most undergraduates do enjoy drinking, the majority of people found these to be quite enjoyable, (but for me it was less than ideal)

Coventry was a very cheap area to live in, especially when I am used to Bristol prices. This, combined with the salary, meant that the summer yielded me a small profit as well as being useful for life experiences. The socialising aspect I didn't really get involved in, but I gather it was reasonably priced if a bit lacking

I did not get involved in the nightlife so am not able to comment appropriately, however many of the other undergraduates complained of a lack of decent clubs or pubs in Coventry or Leamington so as a result, I would say that the nightlife was not one of the strong points in this internship

There were many activities which we could sign up for, however they were not really geared towards the 3 month undergraduates in terms of length. This was not aided by the fact that they didn't really start until the last few months of the placement meaning I couldn't get involved in very many