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
I loved it!
Everyone was very supportive. There was also a lot of effort put into giving the interns a chance to get to know each other - we all lived in flats in the same complex and they even organised a night out at the Edinburgh Festival for us.
Everyone was so welcoming and helpful. If my manager was busy, I felt comfortable asking other members of the team and even my manager's manger because they were all so willing to lend a hand.
For a few weeks I was super busy but then there were other weeks where I didn't have that much to do - this was basically due to the nature of the project I was working on and I think if I had been at the company for a longer period, I would have been working on multiple projects so it wouldn't have been so much of an issue.
I was in charge of a project that would affect real customers. I ran drafting groups with people who were quite senior in the company. There were always people to support me when I felt unsure or overwhelmed though so it wasn't too much.
I defintely feel I have learned lots of skills from my placement. It also helped me to realise how the skills I already had could be applied in a professional environment.
The Company
People were chatty and there were social events, but there was also a strong work ethic in the team which was great because I had lots of work to do and at times I would have found it difficult if it had been too distracting.
I think overall it was great. The only issue was that our accommodation (which Standard Life provided for free) was only booked until the last day of our placement which meant moving out on the morning of our last day and then working all day. This made travelling home awkward for soem people too. It would have been better to have had just one extra day. Overall though, this is a minor complaint. They made everything else so easy for us and even let us move into our accommodation 5 days before we started to get settled in and attend a welcome day.
There were lots of Intern Development sessions to learn new skills and work with the interns. We got to hear from people who were in one of the company's development programmes as well to see the progression from internship to graduate scheme and beyond. There were also lots of developement opportunitites open to everyone in the company, like hearing from the Chief Executive for example. I also felt that everyone was really willing to answer my questions and take time out of the schedule to tell me about their role or department.
Subsidised Canteen
Company Parties/Events
Healthcare/Dental
I haven't heard yet if I will be kept on (we are told in our final week I think), but the potential is there to be offered a place on a graduate scheme starting next September. I would love to take it if I get an offer.
The Culture
There was a great social scene among the interns. I also had a few socials with my team over the 10 weeks - we had one dinner, one lunch and one fringe night out.
I thought it was pretty good. Things got more expensive in August when the festival was on, but I went to loads of shows so that's to be expected.
We had lots of great nights out. There is a wide choice of restaurants, bars and clubs to choose from. It gets even better during the festival! (but also more expensive)
There were lots of opportunities among the interns. I think that there are also clubs and activities available, but I didn't find out too much about them seeing as I was only there for 10 weeks. I also didn't feel the need to because I had so much fun with the interns.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
Scotland
August 2014