HR Industrial Placement Student Review

It was a really great experience to have insight in a global company, and therefore global projects. I felt really motivated to work for GSK as I truly felt that I was contributing to something positive in global health. It was really inspiring to see first hand how much hard work goes into making the life-changing drugs and vaccines that GSK produces.

My managers were very supportive on my placement and I truly felt valued and that I was appreciated. I would usually be acknowledged for my work, but I think this depends on the managers style and. When I did work that was outside of my remit, I often received Recognition Awards which helps employee feel valued.

I was given great support and guidance from my manager - they were always there for me and quick to respond. They always made sure I felt comfortable and would set up time with me to walk/ talk through things if I was every confused or needed help.

I would say the project I was aligned to had peaks and troughs, there were times where i was more busy than others, but I think this is normal when you're in large projects at GSK. My managers were aware of this and were understanding, we were all in a similar boat

I was given the right amount of responsibility, and responsibility increased during my placement which was great as I had time to develop my skills and was therefore more confident when I took on more responsibility. Again, my managers wouldn't push me to do something that I was really uncomfortable with.

I think spending a year in a working environment has really helped develop my work ethic, communication skills, confidence and organisation skills to name a few. I will definitely go back to university with these new skills and I think it will help me perform better during assignments and revision. It's great to get a years work experience in a global and well-known company - its really good experience to refer to during interviews/ CV

Everyone in my function was very nice and friendly and were happy to sit and talk to me about their role/experience. Even people outside my function were happy to speak to me! Think this shows the type of company GSK is. It was a very relaxed environment, where you didn't have to arrive bang-on 9am every morning, and people respected that you have a life outside of work.

I think overall it was well organised. Due to a change of circumstances, my role did change after 6 months, but I felt that I always had work to do/ support I needed. There wasn't much overall organisation involved e.g. from a central team, it was mainly down to the line manager to organise.

My managers really invested in my personal development, setting up regular catch-ups to discuss how I'm doing and the work I was involved with. I also had the opportunity to do a 'Strengths Finder' activity which was really insightful and helped me think about my development. I also had the opportunity to go on trainings.

Future employment prospects are very appealing - as GSK is such a huge company there is definitely something for everyone. I think its a really good environment to learn and grow as much as you can. However, I'm not sure how many roles are available for grads, I know that there are only a few available places on the Future Leaders Program, and Direct Entry roles don't accept a certain number a year

Yes, at GSK House there were many organised social events and we would sit down together at lunch. There were lots of IPs based at GSK House (around 80) so we were like one big cohort. There were often socials with colleagues too, we went to mini golf and an escape room.

I think most IPs based at GSK House lived in Acton, Northfield, Brentford as these are closer to the office. However I lived closer to central London so I imagine my cost of living was slightly higher. There are lots of pubs and restaurants near GSK House which was great, but not much entertainment.

The nightlife was mainly pubs, there weren't any nightclubs. But many would travel into central London, however this was a very long tube journey. It isn't the best but many wouldn't go out on a work night anyway so this wasn't an issue. We would often go to the local pub on a Friday night.

There are definitely opportunities, but perhaps not so many for placement students. My managers often attended conferences/ talks at companies. I did have the opportunity to attend the Microsoft Expo in London which was really great, and my managers encouraged me to attend. Other than that, I personally didn't have many opportunities