Industrial Placement Daily 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
3.1
-
The Company
2.5
-
The Culture
2.5
- 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
Some negatives and some positives but I'm glad I had the opportunity to do my placement year
Felt valued by colleagues I worked with closely but not other members of my team.
One of my supervisors gave me a great deal of support during my placement and I had regular meetings with him to discuss my development and objectives. I had other supervisors who didn't take much interest though.
My workload was very inconsistent and I regularly had long periods of little or no work. There wasn't enough work in my original role I was hired to do so I often had to look to volunteer for work elsewhere.
I was given a lot of freedom in my role.
I didn't obtain any professional certifications or training but I learnt a great deal of soft skills that will help me in the future.
The Company
The area I worked in was quite empty with lots of unallocated desks or employees working from home. The atmosphere wasn't great but I had friends in other areas of the office which made it a bit better.
The scheme itself is organised well on GSK's side. However, as external contractors our pay and holidays were managed by an external company and this caused a number of problems and changes over the year. For example, there were problems with on-site parking for students and holiday pay. These changes were often confusing and poorly communicated.
There was a focus on personal development and most students got the opportunity to undertake a personal development plan with their managers which I found very useful. The opportunity to take paid courses seemed to vary between roles.
Subsidised/Company Gym
Company Parties/Events
Staff Sales/Staff Shop
Above 25 days holiday
Working from home
GSK have a number of different graduate schemes available and students have the opportunity to be fast tracked.
The Culture
Social events between all the students were infrequent but good when they happened.
London is quite expensive compared to the rest of the UK. Central London was expensive for socialising but there are cheaper alternatives out there. The rent where I lived was high for what you get too. Many students I know chose to live at home to save money.
Plenty of pubs nearby. A few clubs in the local area too but the better ones were in central London.
Many opportunities were advertised throughout the year.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
Information Technology
London
July 2012
