Geology intern Review

I really enjoyed the experience. I got to look at lots of different types of data sets that I had never seen before which was really interesting. I also spoke to lots of people so really gained an understanding of the variety of roles within my sector. I really liked that there was lots of discussion and it was very easy to ask questions and ask for help when I needed it. It also helped me decide what I want to do as a career path.

I felt very valued. At the start of the project my supervisors explained why my project was important and that was very clear. During competitions like Technofest you have to explain how your project is creating value for the company so there is a focus on it. I also felt valued as the tasks I were given were technical and important for the team. This is unlike the more admin-type jobs I’ve received in other work experience roles.

I received a lot of support. My supervisors met with me for half an hour every morning. In this time we discussed the work I was doing, I asked any questions and it was very helpful. If I had any issues throughout the day I could also message them on Microsoft Teams and usually get an answer quite quickly. Occasionally they were all in meetings so couldn’t answer me but I always had something else to do so this was never really a problem.

They were somewhat helpful for my modules and university. I improved my time management and organisational skills and became well practiced with remote working. The data perhaps developed some of my knowledge from classes on sedimentary basins/sedimentary environments. The skills I developed were very helpful for my 4th year project which involves looked at a lot of seismic data. I mentioned this to my supervisor at the start of the project and as BP use the same software as my university they gave me access to the software (Petrel) and lots of help in working out how to use it. This has saved me weeks of time in my 4th year of university and has really helped me.

I think it was very well structured. The induction talks at the beginning gave a clear introduction to the company’s values and style of working. I think it may have been good to have smaller talks for certain disciplines. For example, if all of the geoscience interns had a talk near the beginning of the process about the basics of drilling or the economics behind decision making that would have been useful. However, I believe some of these topics were addressed during lunchtime talks.

The general atmosphere was pretty good, especially considering the length of time people had been remote working. I felt I could approach every member of my team for chats and they were always friendly and upbeat. We also had events such as intern networking which gave the interns more of a connection that I think helped make the atmosphere nicer. The intern families/buddies also made it feel very friendly so I really enjoyed these meetings.

I think they invested in us a lot. It was a paid internship and even though the duration of the internship was halved the company still paid the amount I would’ve been paid for the original length of the contract. That equates to a large investment into the internship program that immediately made me feel valued. I was also given access to BP’s learning platform where I was able to watch recorded talks and complete modules. I chose to do this for subjects that I am interested in such as deep water depositions environments and CCUS (carbon capture utilisation and storage). I feel this extra training was also an investment in my skills and knowledge.

As an intern in BP you’re given a meaningful project and working as part of a team that, even during a virtual experience, you will get to know. I organised one-to-one meetings with most people on my team so had the opportunity to ask questions about their job and experiences with the company. This was really insightful. Also after taking part in team meetings and attending induction talks, the importance of the core values and how they are utilised in everyday working life becomes very clear.

I think it’s hard to fully grasp this without going into the office, but there’s nothing that could really be done about that. It was very clear that the core values are part of everyday working life and I noted down examples of how I was displaying them during my project work as a part of my self evaluation. I think as long as you involve yourself within your team you will get a reasonably good understanding of the company culture.

I took this internship while trying to decide between a career in a large engineering consultancy company, research or the energy industry. I really enjoyed my time at BP and I applied a lot of knowledge from my degree (geology) to my work. It’s always been important to me that I use the knowledge from my degree as I really enjoy it so would like to do something related in the future. My experience with BP convinced me fairly early on in the process that I should pursue a career in the energy industry.

Even though the duration of my internship was halved due to the pandemic, I was still paid as if I had worked for the entirety of the original duration (12 weeks). I think the pay was very competitive and it was clear that BP really invest a lot into their early careers programs. There were no expenses that I needed reimbursing for as I was working remotely from home and had all the necessary equipment.

There were lots of opportunities if you made them. For example, I emailed lots of people in my team and set up one-to-one meetings where I could discuss them and their careers. Some other programs like the “intern buddy” scheme were helpful in networking if you had a very good buddy. I was fortunate and my buddy put a lot of effort into suggesting of people outside of my team for me to meet. This was brilliant as I gained a wider network and insight into what was going on in other regions.

I think they were good considering the fact everyone was remote working. The social committee did well organising events like intern networking, quizzes and an end of internship get together. I think it would have been fun to do more to line activities but I’m not sure how plausible it would be. A lot of interns also didn’t attend these sessions so it made it harder to get to know a lot of them. Overall, I think there were good opportunities there but it was a very different experience to working in the same office and being able to meet up.

I know a little bit about this from my previous work experience with BP (female discovery week). For example I’m aware there is a choir and other activities. I am not sure if these were mentioned during this internship though. Perhaps they would have been mentioned if we had been in the office. It might have been a good lunchtime event to hear a bit about each different activity from the people that do them.

I would definitely recommend this experience. I developed my technical knowledge and skills massively. For example, I’m now very used to seeing a brand new dataset that I have never seen before and quickly understanding it and being able to analyse it. It also helped with organisational skills, time management and got me used to working online. I have now also experienced working in a large company and this whole process has helped me decide the career path that I want to pursue.