This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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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
Obviously being a placement student some of the tasks I am given are quite dull. However, the subject matter is really interesting and I feel like I have genuinely added value to my team and been a useful addition.
On the whole, my team were really good at thanking me for things I had done well and I felt that I had a genuine speciality and was a 'go to' guy for certain problems
I effectively had two lines of management. My task manager was my day to day manager, he gave me the tasks to complete and was main main source of feedback. I also had my Personal Development Manager who was there to ensure that I was progressing properly and that I was enjoying my placement. I have really good relationships with both managers and feel that whenever I need help on anything that I have somebody I can turn to. If not them, then other members of my team
I came in during a light period and was able to cope even though I hadn't got to grips with my role properly at that point. However about half way through my year a very large project came to a head and I became very busy, regularly working extra hours just to keep up with the flow of work and I found it quite stressful. Having passed this phase now however, I am glad to have been through it as I know how I handle pressure and I learnt a massive amount during the process.
When I first started this placement, we were told from previous interns how much genuine responsibility we would be given from the word go, and it was true! I spent 3 weeks with my previous intern. After that I was expected to complete any tasks she would have done to the same standard as she would have done them. When somebody contacted me, they didn't know they were contacting a placement student, as far as they were concerned I was just another person in the team, so I had to be as competent as anybody else. The tasks I completed during my year were important and I completely understand why I have to complete them and why they are vital.
Not so much in the sense of my degree studies. To be honest I haven't used any Maths this year, but the life skills I have gained have been unbelievable, time management, prioritisation, project management and even down to littler things like being able to effectively write a professional Email. In that sense I could not recommend the placement more highly
The Company
Our area of the office was always populate with a fair amount of people so there was often conversations going on, and everybody always had time to say hello or have a chat, even up to the very top. I often found myself chatting about football with senior management people but they never imposed their seniority on situations
I feel that I've been very lucky with my role and the continual work I have received. A lot of the other interns I speak to do not have a lot of work to do, certainly not enough to fill their time. That said, The actual organisation of the year was very good, I was kept well informed during my application and was always made aware of up coming events.
There were various training events that we had to undertake, countless online training courses and optional training could be undertaken. Very helpful with organising shadowing etc.
Flexi Time
Sports and Social Club
Working from home
There's a scheme in which I can apply back and I wont have to retake the tests if I had got a high enough score for the grad scheme first time. then depending on how my year went I may find it easier to progress through the process
The Culture
Everybody I met was really normal and friendly and I have made some genuine friends.
cost of living is quite decent, I had no problems affording to live whilst in Portsmouth
Awful, good for a while but Portsmouth gets very dull very quick
Yes, sports teams and Tennis clubs, gyms etc, also an IBM organised club that goes on trips to places like the west end
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
Marketing, Sales
South West
May 2014