Components Engineer Review

I returned to my same team, and it was a struggle to stay busy. I understand they don't want to overload me, and they only wanted to give me work that related to my degree, but I found there were a lot of times where I didn't have much to do

I love the people in my team, hence I went back. They really just want the best for you, and made sure I was settled back in. I do wish there were more young people in my team, as it is difficult to find people to "hang out" with, but the people are lovely

My team provide good support, although I didn't have enough work they made sure that I was able to do what I was doing. Weekly touchpoints helped keep me on track for that week, and made sure I had a time where I could ask for help if I needed it

The workload was not very large, I like to be kept busy but a lot of my role was waiting for email replies. I wouldn't necessarily call what I was doing engineering, more project management, as I was just sending emails to suppliers to get them to do the work. I would like to join a different team if I return, like research, where they actually do some of the development

My project is very much my responsibility, I can go to my mentor if I have questions about anything but I am in charge of talking to the suppliers, deciding what we are going to do, booking the testing, and doing initial scoping work. I am not really working under anyone, just working on my project.

The skills I got from my projects will definitely help me when I go back to uni, hence they were the projects I was given. I already did a placement and that one really helped me in my second year, I feel as though it is a great experience regardless of what you end up doing

My department is primarily older people, so there is not much of a vibe. However I did a mini placement in Research and that was a lot better as there were a lot of grads, and lots more women, so I felt more at ease. I was able to eat lunch with them, and the vibe was a lot more chatty than it is in my home team.

It is all very well organised, both within the teams and in the undergrad community as a whole. Inductions were well organised, and ran seamlessly. It was nice to receive a leaflet detailing what I would be doing and in what team, as I did not get that last time. Emails were often sent out to organise things.

Last time I did a placement here (15 months) I was able to undertake any training I felt was relevant to my job role, and was not held back in terms of what I could do. I was also able to do a masters module I am hoping I can carry forward to the grad scheme so that I can eventually get a masters.

Should they be hiring I will be coming back to the company, I am on a sponsorship scheme so it is slightly more likely, but a lot of undergrads are invited back after graduation to join the grad scheme. I will likely request a different team, but it is likely I will come back.

The social scene is good as long as you live with other undergrads (which I don't as I already live nearby for uni with my partner). Most short placement undergrads live in Liberty Point and often arrange outings, and go for drinks etc. I am not sure what longer placement students do but they usually live in shared houses so socialise with their house

The cost of living in Coventry is good, my flat is fairly cheap and pubs etc in the area are not too overpriced. A lot of undergrads/grads live in Leamington though, which is a lot more expensive and you are less likely to be able to afford to do as much.

Nightlife in coventry isn't great, especially over the summer as there are no students around. On longer placements it is not so bad, and it is close to Birmingham if you wanted a bigger night out. I don't really go on nights out so I am not 100% sure what it is like. There are some nice pubs in coventry, and it is a lot nicer in Leamington.

It's what you make of it really, if you look for things then they are there but if you don't look then it may seem like there is nothing. There are activities run y the graduate forum such as sports teams, or days/nights out. It is easy to end up doing nothing though if you don't want to look for it