Synthetic Chemist Review

by GSK

Best Student Employer

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.8/5
  • The Role
    4.5
  • The Company
    3.4
  • The Culture
    3.1

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

    • Halfway through the year I realised that working in a lab full time is not the career path I want to follow. Research can be very frustrating as you don't often know where the compound you made is going and if it will help people; I stopped finding my job rewarding,

    4/5
  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

    • Everyone has been very welcoming and friendly, they made sure that we sat together twice a day for coffee and took a keen interest in us as students.

    5/5
  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

    • The supervisor I had been allocated, through no fault of hers, was often not around and unable to assist me in my day to day work and therefore I had to rely on my manager who was more than willing to supervise me and was extremely helpful at doing so.

    5/5
  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

    • Some days I was rushed off my feet with hardly any time to have a break or eat and some days I was struggling to find work to do, or getting slightly bored monitoring a reaction/waiting for a column. This is just the nature of the job I think.

    5/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • I was given roles which were important and I couldn't not rely on anyone else but myself to get the work done.

    5/5
  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

    • I feel like I have gained a huge amount of varied skills which will be invaluable to me in the laboratory for my final year at university but also in my future jobs where I now feel I am a more organised, confident, analytical and inquisitive person.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

    • Generally people in the laboratory were working on their own work and after the shifts which took place in the company at Christmas, my lab was very quiet. There was still a fun atmosphere now and then but generally quite quiet especially if people had to do work in specialist labs that day.

    3/5
  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

    • Very well. My university had good links with GSK and therefore the interview process was well organised, and my university secretary and the secretaries at GSK were extremely efficient at organising dates etc.

    5/5
  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

    • The company offered me various opportunities to develop my personal profile which I took each time. GSK firmly believe in the students they take on for placement and are very keen to give opportunities for development.

    5/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • Subsidised Canteen

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    Company Parties/Events

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    Above 25 days holiday
    3/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • GSK are currently not employing and have not done for the past few years. It is unknown yet unlikely that this will change any time soon due to the economic climate. However I still applied for a graduate scheme whilst here.

    3/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

    • There were lots of other students on placement to socialise with and everyone was extremely friendly - you never felt left out or bored.

    5/5
  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

    • Stevenage itself was averagely priced, my rent was not cheap but not extortionate and drinks in the local pubs were the same. However if you wanted to go to London or Cambridge nearby, drinks and food were very highly priced.

    3/5
  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

    • Stevenage mostly consisted of pubs in the old town and one club situated in the leisure park, therefore the nightlife wasn't amazing but we made the most of it!

    4/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • Stevenage didn't have much to offer in terms of activities. However there were running clubs advertised in the gym on site at work.

    2/5
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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

South East

June 2012

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