IT Industrial Placement Student Review

GSK has given me great exposure to the 'real world' of work. The people around me were very supportive and you are genuinly treated as a regular employee.

Colleagues and team mates rely on your work so you are definitely highly valued, just like anybody else would be in GSK.

I joined GSK in the middle of a restructure in my department so for the first few weeks I was a little unsure about where I would be placed. Fortunately, there is a large support network so I had plenty of support from various managers.

My work varies, some days can be manic - others can be quiet. I think this gives my job a little excitement and balance as the quiet days give me chance to catch up on other things.

My role involves quite a lot of responsibility and the opportunity to meet with quite a lot of senior management. This was a little daunting at first but once I had settled it was a great way to network.

The skills I have gained this year will definitely help when applying for graduate schemes. In some ways I think it will also help me during my final year as it puts all the theory into perspective.

There is always something to do, an event to go to, a dinner/lunch to attend. The year is what you make of it - the more people you know - the more there is to do!

For me, there wasn't a complete set out structure of the work I would be doing. For me this has worked well as it enabled me to go out and find different projects that I may not have had the chance to do. This has enabled me to network outside of my team which is definitely useful. As I mentioned, it worked well for me but if you are the type of person that likes to have their role set out then I guess it can be a little frustrating.

We are allocated a training budget which unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to use completely. Although there have been courses advertised that interested me and when I asked my manager there were no issues going on them. If it benefits your role then you will have no issues with GSKs investment in your training and development.

Graduate schemes are competitive for good reason. It's a great company to work for and you have the opportunity to apply via a fast track application form. I have applied - so have the vast majority of other Industrial Placement Students. Fingers crossed!

We were out most weekends and going out for a dinner or the pub every now and again during the week. There's always something going on - again, the more people you get to know; the more there is to do.

Not as expensive as central London but still pretty pricey!

It's commutable distance to Central London where there is everythign - what more could you need?

I was invovled in 2 events teams and an internally supported project. If you have the time outside of your work then there is plenty to get involved in!