CSR Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement at Oracle based in Thames Valley Park. As an intern, you are treated from the offset as a valued employee and expected to add value. This mindset not only pushed me to contribute and set higher standards for my own work, but also made me excited to come into the office each morning.

My managers and colleagues made me feel welcome from my first day in the office. Oracle is full of friendly people who are really interested in helping the intern cohort succeed. Most people I spoke to offered some level of mentorship or support after our first meeting, and I never felt 'talked down to' despite my junior status.

Each of my managers and my mentor gave me regular opportunities to speak to them about all areas of my intern experience (from work load, to home life, to self development). Every problem I encountered, I was given priority by my managers who made special effort to pause the day job to ensure I was okay. I was given training opportunities, introduced to new contacts and helped to find different projects in response to my requests for development opportunities.

I was very busy, but that is how I like to work. The nature of my role was heavily project based, so I did spin several plates at one time. However, on the occasions this got overwhelming my managers were happy to sit down with me to review my commitments, prioritize between them and reduce my involvement if needed.

Interns at Oracle are treated as employees to the extent that their work is expected to be up to standard, they are expected to add value and they are fully immersed in the line of business they work for. My suggestions and comments were never dismissed, and my managers gave me a lot of creative freedom when it came to the work I produced. I was responsible for my own time management and work prioritization which helped me keep myself accountable.

Overall, working for Oracle has made me raise the standards I expect for myself. The independence and responsibility I was given will be invaluable in my studies and future career. I received training for presentation skills, visual communication and social media messaging, all of which developed skills normally outside of my comfort zone.

The office was friendly and relaxed, but there was a clear expectation of a level of professionalism. The social spaces were open for a coffee and a break from screen time, and there was a reflection room for anyone who needed it. The green spaces around the office were also well used for walking meetings and lunchtime strolls.

The intern program was packed with different events and opportunities from start to finish. We were given training often and networking events were organized specifically for us. I especially appreciated the mentor program which was kicked off very early into our placement so our specifically-assigned mentors could get to know us and help us from the offset.

We were given plenty of training as part of the induction and throughout the year. We also had permanent access to online training resources from the Oracle University or LinkedIn Learning. Our intern manager also found extra training courses to be moved online to keep us learning during the Covid-19 lock-down, which helped with our motivation as well as development.

I would like to continue working with Oracle in the future, due to how well they treated me as an intern and how interesting I found my job. The variety of roles within such a large organization also make it an attractive prospect due to the ability to experience different lines of business.

The whole intern cohort was friendly and the area of Reading was kitted out with social spaces. There was always someone doing something that you could join in on. The employees also were keen to bring the interns to team drinks and Christmas dinners which made us feel more included.

Reading is a student area so rent was reasonable and there were plenty of places to enjoy yourself without spending a fortune.

The bars and restaurants around Reading were generally lovely, safe spaces. The nightlife was good and there was a good selection of clubs to go to.

Yes - there were plenty of local sports clubs and social spaces to enjoy. Never a dull moment.