Engineering and Technology Intern Review

I worked as a software engineer in two different teams. In my first team I implemented optimisation algorithms for a fan blade preliminary design code and also developed an application to provide real-time visuals of the optimisation process. In my second team I implemented pressure loss estimation functionality. Both roles involved a lot of coding, unit testing, following agile practices and presenting at sprint reviews.

Having come from a Mechanical Engineering degree background I had very little coding practice but by the end of my internship I felt very confident working as a software engineer. I learned a lot about object-orientated programming, how to write efficient code, and how to verify my code via unit testing. I also learned a lot about how to develop applications following agile methodologies. Finally, outside my role, I had great exposure to the development of gas turbines and the different areas in the business.

Yes, I felt like I was doing really meaningful work that was valued by the business and this helped me grow a lot. One of the softwares I developed was being used by one of the teams before I left and the final project I was working on was very close to being verified by the company's software standards so should be adopted soon. They put a lot of trust on interns to get things done and there is also lots of great opportunities offered.

In my first placement I received lots of support and guidance and whenever I was stuck my team members would be more than happy to help out. My second placement was at a very busy team so there was naturally less support but I also had a supervisor who offered really useful guidance whenever I was stuck. My line manager throughout the internship was also amazing and put in a lot of effort in making sure I was getting ok.

Amazing work life balance, never felt overworked/stressed. They have a lot of patience for interns and the work felt like it was going at a very healthy pace when compared to uni.

I did enjoy it a lot, the business is really big and there is a huge variety of departments so it felt like a great company to understand different careers. The work was enjoyable but at times it could be slow due to the nature of Aerospace and Defense Industry and having to wait on getting permission to access different softwares. Overall they give interns lots of freedom to explore and pick what work they like to do so it was great for my early career development.

Yes

Research the company well as Rolls-Royce has many different businesses. Try to get involved in as much projects as possible in university (e.g. formula 1, rocket team etc.) to prove your keen interest in engineering. Also link your experience to the company's values: Agile, Bold, Collaborative, and Simple.