Assay Development Scientist 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

4/5
  • The Role
    4.4
  • The Company
    3.9
  • The Culture
    3.5

    The Role

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

    • It was really interesting - a great insight into Pharma

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

    • Within my department we were very close, I was given lots of support.

    4/5
  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

    • I was never unsure whether to ask for help or struggled with anything.. my manager or other people were always around to help, even with the simplest things such as calculations or trying to work Excel!

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

    • Work came in waves - some days I would be really busy and some days I'd have less to do but I enjoyed meeting deadlines. There was always work to be done so even on my quiet days I was never bored.

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

    • after a period of working alongside my supervisor, I was given my own project. I designed the project and worked out all the details and simply showed my results to the programme team at the end. It was great to be able to work independently

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

    • In relation to my degree, the practical skills I developed will be very useful for when I return to university for my final year project, and also in a future PhD. I developed transferrable skills such as time management, presentation skills and the ability to interact with colleagues of different ages and backgrounds.

    4/5

    The Company

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

    • the office was quieter but in the lab the atmosphere was great - lots of chatting, laughing etc.

    4/5
  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

    • Within GSK the work was great. An agency were used to deal with payroll, holidays etc and they were less organised.

    4/5
  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

    • A lot of time and effort was spent training me

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

    • Flexi Time

    Subsidised Canteen

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    Financial Bonus
    4/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • Many people work at GSK for years and it's easy to see why, the atmosphere is relaxed and the work is interesting. I'm not sure howeer how easy it is to move up within the company

    4/5

    The Culture

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

    • A facebook group was set up for the 150 IPs and we regularly met up at parties, in the pub etc etc.

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

    • Stevenage is quite expensive - taxis in particular, although compared to london it is cheaper. The problem is that stevenage is very close to London and it's all to easy to go to London at the weekends and spend your week's wages....

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

    • There's one nightclub in stevenage - it's not a very good one either. stevenage has lots of pubs and bars however that ar decent, and it's close to london so it's easy to go there, although there are no trains between 1 and 6 so if you go to london you can't get tired!

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

    • within the IP Facebook group many events were organised

    4/5
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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

South East

July 2012

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