Research Engineer Review

I enjoyed working on extremely interesting projects within my department. It was also interesting to find out about other projects that I did not necessarily have the opportunity to work on. Furthermore, making contacts for the future will benefit me in the long run and made the placement more enjoyable.

Despite not having the same experiance or qualifications, I was given important roles within the team. The feedback given was fair so that I was not discouraged. I was asked to support in areas where I had information others in the team where missing, and allowed to join in in areas that interested me, but where beyond my scope, as my colleagues thought my input could be valuable.

Through regular one to one sessions with my manager I was able to get feedback and support. This gave me the opportunity to get advice on projects and on how to proceed in future. The rest of the team were also happy to support and give advice and where always happy to make time to answer questions and help resolve issues.

Throughout the majority of my internship I had plenty of tasks to complete. The team had made a concious effort to put aside tasks that I would be capable of completing, but that would still keep me engaged. Towards the end of the placement as these tasks ran out, there were occasions where I was not fully engaged.

During my placement I was given a good amount of responsibility, being allowed to take control of my own tasks and on occasion even pick them for myself. I was allowed to work independently and trusted to complete work to a satisfactory standard.

The skills I learned during this placement where largely beyond the scope of my degree studies. This skills will help me improve the quality of extended projects, and will also give me alternative aspects for coursework and in lectures. Furthermore the placement as a hole has given me renewed enthusiasm for the subject, and has reminded me what it is I am working for, during my degree.

For the most part the atmosphere in the office was positive. Individuals where enthusiastic about the work and projects they are involved in. Occasional negativity about issues the company is experiencing and how these issues are being dealt with, made for a bad atmosphere, however these were only occasional issues.

The internship was set up very well. Extensive inductions meant that I was familiar with the company and my surroundings when I started and knew what was expected of me. My team had a good idea of how to make use of me and how to make sure I got what I wanted out of the placement. Small IT issues at the start of my placement delayed kick off, however these were quickly resolved.

Giving me the opportunity to work independently on projects meant that I was able to develop communication skills. The team put aside time, to support my learning of new pieces of software, and working on projects I had little experience in. Sadly I was not given the opportunity to attend any training courses, as these were not required for the projects I was involved in.

Having the opportunity to work with the company again in the future would be extremely appealing. There is a significant amount of further learning I would be able to do, along with being able to work on more interesting projects. Furthermore the social aspect would also make future employment with this company more appealing than others.

For me, the social scene was excellent. At the beginning of the placement we were all introduced to each other, giving us the opportunity to organise social get togethers amongst ourselves. Weekly social outings meant that all the undergraduates knew each other well, without overly pressuring us to spend all of our evenings out.

The cost of living in Coventry was very reasonable. I was easily able to live comfortably within the income I was given. Socialising was also extremely affordable, as long as venues where chosen appropriately (luckily the group was good at choosing). Travel expenses where a little higher, as most sights where not really accessible by foot or bike, and despite there being some transport provided, travelling by car was still the preferred method despite the cost.

For what I was looking for, the nightlife in the area I was working in was perfect. The occasional night out was available to us, without feeling pressured to go out every day of the week. Events catered to a variety of interests, and most imporantly, if anthing was missing, it was easy to organise, and find others who where interested in joining.

Sadly, as I was only on a short placement, there where not many out of work opportunities to get involved in. Any out of work activitied needed to be organised by ourselves. The GradNet at our company would have organised events that I could get involved in, if I had been on the longer scheme.