Summer Intern Review

The first two weeks were slow due to IT issues. A laptop was provided for me on the first day, which was an improvement upon last year, but I was unable to log in and I didn't have automatic access to many of the programmes which are important in Development Engineering. Furthermore, many of these programmes would take a long time to download / gain access, longer than my internship duration, so there was no point even bothering to apply for them. If Rolls-Royce wants to really make use of Summer Interns they need to get their IT sorted beforehand. Additionally, I felt that there was not enough work for a Summer Intern. Rolls-Royce wants to secure the best engineers for graduate entry or direct entry but during this internship I've felt surplus to requirements and it has put me off working here. I am used to a very fast paced busy environment and university and this didn't match up. If Rolls-Royce really wants the best engineers, they should provide placements with meaningful work, the number of Summer Interns should be reduced so that the quality of engineers selected goes up not the quantity.

The department which I was placed in was very friendly. Because it is such a friendly and loud environment it was quite daunting at first but all levels of the team have made me feel welcome, from the Chief Development Engineer to the Higher Technical Apprentices. I now feel as though I can approach anyone with any type of question.

I was given a large amount of support on the tasks I was set and I was always pointed in the right direction if I needed further assisstance. The working environment was great and I was never left to work something out the hard way on my own.

I felt that the amount of work to do each day varied hugely. Some days I had absolutely nothing to do and nobody was around for me to ask for work. Other days I felt that I had a perfect amount and was really contributing towards the company. I think my placement would have been improved if I had been set a small individual project alongside the daily tasks. The individual project (which if possible would benefit the company) would have occupied me during the days when I had nothing to do.

I was given a fair amount of responsibility on one/two tasks. This made me feel as though I was truly contributing to the company. I think I was given the right amount of responsibility as I was challenged but I wasn't stressed if I made a mistake because it wasn't critical e.g. it wouldn't delay the build of an engine. If I were to do a longer internship, the amount of responsibility that I would be given would naturally grow in the projects that I have been involved in.

I have learnt a huge amount about the Trent 1000 hardware, about the certification each engine has to go through. It will assist me in my degree hugely.

The office atmosphere was really good and was one of the aspects that kept me going on the boring days. It's very sociable scenes with many events to celebrate engine milestones and team reorganisations.

At first, the internship appeared to be very well set up. I was provided with a laptop on the very first day and we were given a talk by the Head of Function. Additionally, we were automatically placed on the invitations to each training session. The day-to-day work that I was given, however, was not very well set up and I often jumped between tasks because one couldn't be completed without software or contacts in the company. As I have said, an individual project alongside the day to day tasks would have kept me occupied and given me a feeling of self worth.

I was given the opportunity to attend every training session and have learnt a huge amount from observing the daily running of a company. The firm has not officially invested much in my training or development but I have learnt a huge amount from the internship experience itself.

The graduate scheme is appealing because it offers a huge variety of placements alongside achieving chartership. Unfortunately, I do not like 'office' work so I will be aiming to return to higher education before entering the company. I wish to become more specialised in a field before I enter industry.

There are a large amount of interns at Rolls-Royce and they're all like-minded and friendly. There are also international students from Virginia and Virginia Tech. The presence of all these other interns really makes the experience fun.

Derby university halls were more expensive that private accommodatioin but the halls were cleaned and there was free internet, tv and no bills. Socialising was cheap, however, Derby is a crap town with not much to do and not very nice people. It's a shame that Rolls-Royce is based in Derby, if it wasn't I think it would attract a lot more top engineers.

Derby is awful.

Rolls-Royce itself has loads of clubs and societies to get involved in, additionally the office organised social events which were fun. I got involved in a local Ballet school in Derby and some of the interns organised their own sports events like football, basketball and ultimate frisbee at the local park.