Synthetic organic chemist Review
by GSK
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
3.9
-
The Company
2.9
-
The Culture
3.5
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
Overall very enjoyable, at times very challenging but a great learning experience. My university required a lot of work to be done out of work hours which was stressful at times. Surrounded by great people and very approachable supervisors.
Always got on with the people in my lab well, had a lot of fun and we worked well as a team.
Supervisor is very supportive. Always generous with his time and expertise.
Varies from day to day, more down to my own time management skills. Some days there is too much to do but others there is a comfortable amount of work. Never bored.
Given a good amount of responsibility, in particular for synthesising target molecules, felt like I was making a difference but the major decisions were out of my hands. My opinion was always respected.
The practical skills gained this year will be very valuable as i go on to do a PhD next year. It will be a similar project situation with independent working so the skills learnt this year will transfer to next year and should give me a running start.
The Company
Generally a lot of fun! All got on well and had a laugh in the labs but also knew when it was time to get serious and focus.
The organisation from GSK was great, they organised the appropriate training and had a good week of training in Bristol uni. However, the recruitment service they now use, SRG, had a very poor payroll system which led to a lot of uncertainty amongst the placement students about our pay. They have some dodgy holiday pay rules in the form of 'enhanced holiday'!
As mentioned before we had a good week of training at bristol uni in their labs where some FTEs from GSK came to train us, which was probably a considerable investment in terms of time and money for GSK. Constant training and development throughout the year.
Subsidised Canteen
Sports and Social Club
Subsidised/Company Gym
Financial Bonus
Company Parties/Events
I would definitely consider returning to GSK in my career. They have good values and good development opportunities.
The Culture
We all get on very well, there are a lot of other students here. We all go on nights out together and live with each other.
Not bad living costs, reasonably expensive going out as close to london.
Nightlife in stevenage is very limited, there are a few pubs in the town and a club. Often go out in london as only 20 minutes away, but this makes it quite expensive.
There are a lot of sport opportunites at the gym, and the company encourages charity events involving running/cycling etc.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
Pharmaceutical
London
June 2012
