IT Systems Intern Review

Schlumberger has a thriving intern population and thus a very good support network for placement students. The company ethic is fantastic and everyone I have had the pleasure of meeting is outgoing and helpful.

I think there was a certain divide between students and permanent employees.. It wasn't often felt but occasionally I felt left out of meetings or projects that I feel I could have contributed towards.

My manager has been fantastic.. He has taught me a great deal and send me on conferences and external visits in an effort to teach me more.. He is a credit to the organisation. I can only speak from personal experience and not for other interns.

Working in IT, some days can be quiet and some very busy! I work best in high pressure situations so when I was busy I was the happiest.. I think the balance was just right for me.. Quiet periods allowed me to focus on necessary paperwork.

I was given a lot of responsibility in my opinion. More that what I may expect anywhere else.. I think its all down to knowledge and confidence. You wouldn't be expected to take change of a system that you had no idea about and maintain it yourself. I had a lot of responsibility and often took charge but I was always able to speak with another member of staff if I had any hesitations.

Linux has been a great skill to learn and something that will set me apart from the rest.. I have learned a lot about systems management and working as part of a large organisations which is knowledge you cannot obtain in education.

I worked in an office with other interns so it was good to be able to chat with them and have a laugh but at the same time I could always work through problems with them and we got to work on some big projects together.

I think the placement overall was well structured. I believe that to be mainly down to my University and the organisation from their end.. They required forms be signed monthly and regular visits occurred.

My manager invested a lot of time talking to me and teaching me, making sure I understood things and teaching me new skills.. I had various examinations to complete as part of company policy. I was not given any additional formal training from external bodies such as Cisco.

I would be very happy to work for my Schlumberger.. I am not sure if they currently have any vacant jobs for my role.. Its a company who invest a lot in their IT operations and something I would enjoy being a part of.

There are alot of interns who work on my site (roughly 21) so we regularly socialised at lunch time and after work.. It helped me to settle in to the job and also the new surroundings as I has to move to accommodate the job.

The location of my place of work is in a very expensive city and thus the cost for most things was nearly double compared to where I moved from. Events organised by the company were subsidised but still rather pricey for interns on less pay than permanent staff.

I really enjoy the nightlife in Cambridge, however as mentioned previously, it is still rather expensive so we did not go out that often. We generally limited it to once a month, meeting for casual drinks/events in-between.

The city was very into the arts and a lot of people joined either art clubs or the gym.. I unfortunately did not have the time to join such an activity.