This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
-
The Company
-
The Culture
- 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
The job was fulfilling and the team that I worked with were great. There was a great atmosphere also amongst all of the interns employed.
I felt 100% a part of the team. By the end of my placement it was commented that I was not viewed as a placement student, but as an employee of IBM.
The managment support was excellent. They expected the best from me at all times but were always on hand to help should I need it.
The job is what you make of it. I had a particularly busy workload but I was also able to supplement this with additional activities during my time at IBM.
After an initial settling in period I was left to be completely independant. I regularly covered for the managment team when they were away or unable to make meetings due to our busy workloads.
The skills that I learnt will certainly help beyond university. When I eventually go back into work, I will be more confident than my peers having already had a successful work placement. As for helping me at university, it has improved my time management skills, but the difference between studying and working full time has only been highlighted by this experience.
The Company
The team were very friendly and welcoming. I worked alongside another intern so that meant there was always someone to talk to.
My department were not looking for a placement student as such but someone to come in a take a genuine role within their team. I believe that this helped me as it meant that I was relied upon throughout the whole year, and was expected to play my part. At IBM there is also a department dedicated to ensuring that the placement students and graduates are able to make the most out of their time at IBM, should they wish to take advantage of it.
IBM has a vast amount of online training that you can participate in. It is down to the individual how much you want to do. Sometimes it is not always possible due to your workload, but there are certainly plenty of opportunities.
Flexi Time
National Travel
Company Parties/Events
Working from home
IBM offers one of the best graduate schemes in the country. The support network is excellent and the opportunities are great.
The Culture
There are a vast number of placement students at IBM, and we enjoyed a great social life. A highlight of this was the intern ski trip, where a coachload of us from various locations went to Val D'Isere for a week.
Portsmouth is a pretty cheap town so the cost was pretty low. If I worked for IBM again however, I would not choose Portsmouth.
The nightlife was good, Portsmouth is a university town so there are plenty of student nights available. It can be quite rough in places though.
IBM offers a network where you can get involved in sporting activities. As well as that we also had an intern football team.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
Scotland
November 2009