Materials Science Industrial Placement Review

My work placement was enjoyable and has gone quickly. My team was very friendly and welcoming and I do not feel like "the student" but a member of the team. I would definitely recommend it to anyone else interested.

I definitely felt valued for the work I did, but was very conscious of finding work that mattered to ensure this happened.

My manager was very busy in an understaffed team, so there was not an overwhelming feeling of support, however I did not have a huge need for support at any point.

At some points during the year I was very busy (not too busy) and at other points I could sit for almost a full day and not do anything.

I had the same responsibility as a normal team member, I was certainly not avoided for tasks that required a bit of responsibility.

Most of my training was very job specific and focussed more around compliance with regulations rather than my own development. Most of the skills I developed and things I learned were more related to how to manage time/projects rather than degree specific skills.

Our team was quite varied in interest and age, however everyone was friendly and got along well with each other while at work.

I was essentially another member of the team for a year, there was nothing "set up" specifically for the benefit of my work placement. I took over from another placement student allowing me to learn the ropes fairly quickly.

I was given training on equipment required to do my job at GSK. There was no personal training or development aside from "team building" for the whole site.

Both from my own experience and from speaking to other placement students, there is a general feeling of disappointment with how students are treated with regards future opportunities. The only potential reward for performing well and working hard all year is a "fast track" scheme for the graduate recruitment process, which only bypasses one interview. To get on this scheme you need to complete and interview with someone from HR who knows nothing of your work, so essentially you are being blindly judged like any other applicant and not judged by your input over the year.

There was a good social scene however it was all arranged by the students themselves; GSK were not involved in putting any of us in touch with each other.

Being near London drinks were quite expensive, and I lived in a popular commuter town which led to quite high flat rental prices.

The GSK site I worked at was based in a very small town with only pubs, and no nearby universities, meaning not many people our age lived in the area.

The sports and social club here provides a great opportunity to get involved in other activities, ranging from 5-a-side football to hillwalking, and most activities you could think of!