Intern - Department for Education Review

It was a good insight to the civil service, but made me realise it wasn't for me.

My colleagues were all lovely and welcoming to all of us interns - they entrusted us with work that needed to be done and let us do it independently. Having catch-up sessions regularly with management was great at encouraging us.

As I said, regular catch-up sessions was a really good way for me to make sure I was on track, allowed me to manage my workload and to as for advice/support when needed. On top of this, managers would sometimes take us for lunch for a more informal talk, which really let you relax and talk to them about work without pressure.

As I was working in the Department for Education trying to finalise the openings of Academies for September 2013, we were relatively busy. As there were quite a few interns working on the same thing, we were able to share the workload somewhat, which meant at times it was a bit quiet.

I feel working on Academies was a significant amount of responsibility, but besides that there wasn't much else for me to do. A lot of administrative work was tasked to me, as well as monotonous report-writing that was not a priority.

I feel my skillset was not enhanced very much at all - it was rather an extension of what I already had, and its implementation in a professional environment. For me that is what I gained most from the internship - understanding what working in a professional environment was like, and adapting my skillset.

I did get on really well with all the other interns and my colleague at the DfE. We knew we had a job to do, but made sure we had fun doing it. We would often go to lunch in big groups, and have jokes around the office!

Everything was very well organised by the Fast Stream Programme, from the opening to the closing ceremony, meeting my line manager, getting my security clearance, everything. Seamless indeed!

I think it was more of a case of me chasing investment than it being given to me. There were countless opportunities to attend civil service events during my placement. I didn't go to many, which is probably why I don't think I had a lot of training.

As it's the public sector, I would have to apply through the fast stream like everyone else, so the placement doesn't give you a 'head start' in that sense. However the experience would be great for competency based questions at interview, so definitely worth it if you're looking to be a civil servant!

There really was - it became a thing where we would all go to the pub on a Friday after work. I've had bad experiences with alcohol and so don't drink, but I would go along anyway just to chat with colleagues and friends. It wasn't awkward at all, and we really got to know one another!

Luckily my parents live in London, so there was no rental costs for me - although travel is expensive. Socialising is also expensive, as even food and drink is expensive in central London!

Didn't go out with colleagues for a night out, but from living in London it is pretty good!

As I mentioned there were several civil service events and talks that you could go to should you want to, I just never took advantage of many of them.