SST Review

The work could really vary on any given day. It took the first month before I felt I was given any "proper" work

even on the more mundane tasks colleagues are always appreciative and willing to provide feedback

Providing you ask if you are unsure there is support and guidance available. If you don't know who to ask there are forums on our internal intranet which can be very helpful for operating internal IT systems and 2nd line support etc

The first 6 months of my placement varied a fair amount with regards to work load. Some days I would be working late and other times you could find yourself clock watching. For myself this was due to a change in the company structure after I joined which resulted in my team taking another full member of staff which meant there would have been too many people for too fewer jobs. That being said this was noticed and I was given the option to move to another team which was growing and willing to take on another team member.

A lot of projects I worked gave me free reign of how I chose to go about dealing with them so in that instance I had a lot of responsibility. You also have to manage your own time and workload so I was free to turn down work if I was especially busy but if I had agreed to take on extra work and I was then responsible for ensuring I completed it on time and to the agreed standard.

Experiencing the corporate culture of such a large international company is a valuable skill in itself. Although many of the new skills I have learnt are too specific to help me with my degree; writing in business English on a daily basis and working in a professional environment with career driven individuals has really helped me develop a working etiquette that will make me more desirable for future employers and help me approach the final year of my degree with much more maturity,

When I was working in business consulting at head office the atmosphere could really change from day to day as the seating arrangements are hot desks due to the nature of consulting. With individuals being out on engagement you could be in the office one day with very few people you know and then the next day you could be sat with all the other interns and Grads. After I moved teams to managed services I was with a team with a fixed desk arrangement in West London the atmosphere was consistently good as I was able to build my relationship with the team on a daily basis.

Once you were established in your role there was very little contact with anyone from the grad scheme. That's not to say I didn't feel I couldn't contact them if I wanted to; but essentially they let you get on with your work with the occasional check in to ensure you are all okay. The intern induction session was an enjoyable day learning about the company and we did activities about how to deal with stress at work which was very laid back and more of a chance to spend more time with the other interns.

There were opportunities to take extra training sessions and become security cleared both of which I just kind of ran out of time to do. Also I had the added complication of changing roles which meant my cost centers changed so by the time all of which was sorted I was 3/4 of the way through my placement.

I am in the process of arranging my application to return on a grad scheme. Once you have been accepted on an internship you are entitled to a spot on a grad scheme providing you meet a level 3 (satisfactory) on your performance review, gain written support from your line manager and get a 2.1 in your degree (and obviously that there is definite a vacancy, if not you can apply for another grad scheme)

The last Thursday of every month in Business Consultancy is "Keep Calm Its Thirstday" a drinking and networking event at The Prince of Wales pub near head office. Other then that its down to you to arrange social events with your friends and colleagues. (your work phones are on Orange so Orange Wednesday at cinema and Pizza Express are a usual suggestion!

London so obviously fairly expensive

Again London: so plenty of choices

The Atos grads and interns facebook page often has people arranging different events such at the tough mudder challenge, charity swims, marathons etc.