Industrial Placement Engineer Review

I truly enjoyed my year-long placement with the Water Team. From the environment in the office, the company's culture, to the type of work involved, it is definitely one of my best year among my university years. I am glad to have the opportunity to work in the UK, which is an international exposure to me (being an international student). The placement provide a step closer to the professional world and the chance to meet people from all walks of life and understanding different culture.

Being an international placement student with little to no knowledge about water resources management, I am overwhelmed by the patience, kindness, and support given by the colleagues in my team. Although being alone in Sheffield (far away from university's friends, and of course family), but I never felt lonely, but instead well taken care of. They talk me through things that I don't understand with ultimate patience, celebrates my work and effort with no bias.

I was given guidance and support for most of the tasks assigned. I have times where I learn from colleagues around me, we sit and discuss, and I have the opportunity to ask lots of questions. I was also sponsored to attend a conference which I think that it might be useful to expand my horizon. As long as I am willing to initiate ideas/opportunities, my supervisors are willing to discuss and ready to evaluate them.

Have things to work on most of the time. Busy sometimes, with occasionally feeling relaxed. As work-life balance is highly encouraged and promoted in Arup, and also our team, the amount of workload can always be discussed. Although there were moments with less workload, but I always ask around if there's anything that can be of help and usually there will be. I also take the time to do more readings and attend online course to brush up my skills (so that I could get involve more!)

Due to the lack of knowledge in water engineering, most of the time I was shadowed under colleagues and given tasks from a project which involves processing data and information. I have not have the chance to get involve in managing projects which I hope to experience. As months go by, I was given more responsibilities for a in-house software development project. In this project, I was able to discuss, make decisions and obtain approvals which was a great opportunity. It would be perfect if I have more time and this can be apply to water-related projects.

My placement is related to the water industry which I did not have the opportunity to get much exposure during my degree studies. As a Civil Engineering undergraduate degree, most of the studies are focused on structures and geotechnics. This placement helped me discover my interest which is water resource management. I am then planning to take a MSc to gain further knowledge and skill, and I believe that the experience that I obtain from my placement will help me in my future studies and career.

Friendly, organised, safe, comfortable. Almost everyone is pretty approachable and friendly. We practice hot desking in the office so you get to sit with different colleagues everyday if you like to. Occasionally we have some social activities or after work drinks in the office's social space. Yoga class is also held after work in the office. It's a relatively new office equipped with new and good facilities, clean and organised, and more importantly with a stunning view of Sheffield city from the office.

There are opportunities to work with them again, but being an international student, it is actually quite difficult to secure a relevant role due to the requirement of visa sponsor. From what I understand, Arup does sponsor visa for a few roles that are lacking talents. Terms and condition may change over time so there are no certainty, but it is definitely a company that I would work for if I have the opportunity in the future.

A relatively lower cost of living compare to South region of UK. There are a variety of choices of shops, markets, restaurants, and retail, so you have the option to shop for lower price range or higher if you can afford. International food can also be easily found in Sheffield. There are also many affordable accommodation, you can easily get an en-suite room at around £90 or below if you reserve early. Overall Sheffield is an affordable city.

The best thing about Sheffield is, you can enjoy city life, but if you would like a getaway, Peak district is just a few minutes train ride away! There are plenty of hikes to do over there. Not a fan of hikes, take a walk and enjoy the stunning scenery is more than enough! There are also cycling group where they organised cycling session throughout the week. You can also sign up for climbing classes, there are many climbing gyms in Sheffield!