functional test analyst Review

The start of my placement wasn't very interesting. All I did was read and do odd-jobs, and this lasted about 2 months. However, after this i got given much more responsibility and began to enjoy the work greatly. The work was stressful but worth while and the company was very supportive of extra activities which i was interested in. these consisted of the company paying for me to attend an external course to gain ISEb accreditation in testing and they also helped me get on with some programming work while i was there, which wasnt related to my job.

Once again, at the start I wasn't valued at all as I wasn't given the opportunity to prove myself. However, by the end I was very close to all that I worked with as I was able I was worth their respect. the people I worked with were very supportive and very approachable.

In general I think that I was given a decent amount of support. Sometimes however, I did feel a bit lost and wasnt sure who to turn to.

Testing is the kind of activity where you can be very busy one day and have nothing to do the next. However, during these slow periods I was able and encouraged to get involved in other activities. I was able to do as much extra work as I wanted to, with guidance but not pressured.

By the end of my placement I had a lot of responsibility and I was seen as an equal from my colleagues. However, this responsibility wasnt delegated lightly. I had to prove myself and earn the amovnt of responsibility i finally received and that made it even more satisfying.

I believe that the training i received from LCH.Clearnet would help me greatly if i were to follow a career in IT testing. Also, supporting me in gaining an ISEB accreditation by paying for the course and allowing me the time off has given me proof of my knowledge as a tester and will help me greatly. I think the most important skill I gained from working at LCH was how to work within an office environment effectively. Previous to my placement year i had never worked in a large office and at the start i found it very daunting. However, now I would be comfortable going into any office and I can attribute that to my experience gained at LCH.

The general atmosphere was very upbeat. Working within a team, there was always someone to talk to and have a joke with. However, before i was a member of a team, it was quite hard to find people to talk to.

I believe I was lucky to get onto the project that i did. This is becavse it allowed me to prove myself as an employee and push myself. However, the oportunity to get on this proect came by chance and i dont think it was down to prior planning. For the first couple of months I didnt do very much at all as neither myself or my manager really knew what i was supposed to be doing. This wouldnt have been an issue if proper planning had been in place.

The company put me in a number of compulsory training courses to raise my knowledge about the financial markets and the role of the company. There were constant offers for me to attend non-compulsory training courses too. LCH also paid for me to attend an ISEB foundation level course in IT testing which cost about £1000 and required me to have 3 days off work. I was very impressed by their willingness to help me further myself, even if it wasnt benefitting the company.

I believe that I would have a good chance of gaining employment back at LCH, due to the feedback given to me by many managers. However, nothing was set in stone as there is no gradvate scheme so this could be better.

All of the placement students got on very well. there were only 7 of us but we went out many times and frequently talked to eachother over internal email.

I lived at home so I commuted into aldgate everyday. the train was quite costly. Also, the bars and pubs around us were quite expensive, but that is to be expected in London.

There were quite a few bars and pubs around where I worked, catering for a lot of different people's tastes.

The sports and social society always had events which we could take part in. By asking around i also got involved with playing football on a weekly basis with some guys from different departments.