Pricer Review

by IBM

Best Student Employer

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

Rating

3.4/5
  • The Role
    3.4
  • The Company
    3.3
  • The Culture
    3.4

    The Role

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

    • Enjoyed my year, developed a lot of skills which will be crucial when looking for a gaduate role. One good thing about IBM is that they have around 300 placement students every year based all over the UK. I was based in North Harbour in Portsmouth, so socially it was fantastic. If you're applying, I would recommend that you ask to be based in one of the main IBM locations (ie North Harbour,South Bank or Bedfont) to get the most out of your year!

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

    • Was very well supported, but felt after 6 months that my nobody cared that much about my role.

    2/5
  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

    • You'll find that everyone at IBM is usually very friendly and is willing to help out and ask any questions that you may have. And in the unlikely hood that you're not happy with your role, your PDM is always there to help you out.

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

    • Within my role,I was either extremely busy or had nothing to do, really depended on the demand of our clients. But if you find yourself with nothing to do you can always do giveback activities or there are educational courses that you can do online to keep yourself busy.

    2/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • Dealt with contracts with values of up to 10 million. May seem like a lot and something you can stick on your Cv. But for a company like IBM, its small amounts of money really!

    3/5
  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

    • One of the best things about IBM is the amount of opportunities that they offer. Foundation offer huge amounts of giveback opportunities, combine this with your role, and theres a large variety of skills that you will develop over the year!

    5/5

    The Company

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

    • We had a lot of customer deadlnes within pricing, so it can get a bit stressful. Despite that I've never seen any heated arguments between IBM employees, its all very chilled out which is good. At the same time, an office is an office....so I can't imagine the day to day excitement being that intense!

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

    • Very well organised, had monthly meetings with my PDM to make sure I was happy and being kept on my toes. However I know that this wasn't the case for some of my fellow placement students.

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

    • IBM are quite happy to support any employee with new giveback ideas or proffessional examinations (CIMA ACCA etc) provided that they're obviously getting a benefit from it as well!

    4/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • Flexi Time

    Sports and Social Club

    National Travel

    Financial Bonus

    Company Parties/Events

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    Above 25 days holiday

    Working from home
    5/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • For finance, not good at all. IBM love to outsource their financial employees to "cheaper countries" so if you're looking for a graduate role in finance,HR or Marketing, you may look elsewhere!

    1/5

    The Culture

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

    • Best part of IBM. IBM employes arond 300 placement students a year, so there are many opportunities to network. It's like your 1st year at uni all over again, you meet so many new people and go out quite a lot....only difference is this time you have to work 9-5! There's also the IBM club, which offers a large range of sporting teams and social activities.

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

    • Portsmouth's a bit of a dump, quite expensive but I would choose it over London anytime!

    2/5
  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

    • Pompey's not amazing for nightlife, best places to go are Gunwarf and Guild hall...apart from that not much else!

    3/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • Plenty, IBM club,corporate games, sport teams etc etc

    4/5
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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

Financial Management

South East

June 2012

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