Summer Intern-Aircraft Maintenance & Support Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement with BAE Systems, as rated: 7/10. As with any job, there are always slower periods of work where you might not feel utilised properly, and also busier periods where you are really pushed to get your required work done in the allowed time. Management have really made an effort to open up opportunities for me to explore areas that I am interested in.

My main colleagues have made me feel part of a proper team. They weren't sure I'd be with them for any longer than 2 weeks initially, yet that did not cause them to be dismissive or disinterested. They welcomed me in and made my placement much more enjoyable.

Management were able to find a good project for me to work on in a dynamic environment. I had an initial point of call made available to me for support, yet I felt comfortable approaching anybody in my team for support. I was never unsure of my task.

This really depends on which week. As mentioned, some are much busier than others. Most of the placement was a good balance of work, yet this did not stop a small amount being too quiet (&Boring), and some being too busy.

The task I was delegated involved spending some time in another similar team to view their methods of work. I was responsible for reporting back with my findings. This was essentially a task that would've been done by someone else in the team if I wasn't available, with the results potentially being used to sculpt future development. I hence feel like I was given a good amount of responsibility- not too much to over strain me, yet enough to make me feel valued through my job.

This placement will help with my degree massively. I've learnt a completely new, and efficient way of using some software- primarily Microsoft Excel. That is used largely in my engineering degree to analyse data and results, which will help drastically going into my final year of study. It has also helped open my eyes to the importance of self motivation, independance, communication, and professional skills. This has helped develop my confidence and ability in my own project work, and will help me to do work in the future, and will certainly help with confidence of my presentation skills.

The atmosphere was comfortable. The physical office was well lit, not too loud, and actually quite spacious. There were facilities immediately available for anything required- refreshments, WCs, kitchens, etc.

Due to the dynamic nature of my internship (Aircraft Maintenance & Support), there is no real possibility of having a pre-determined piece of work/ study to do. You need to be versatile and open to working where required, depending on what contracts might be getting worked on. This can be deemed as negative, however if you retain an open mind, there is also opportunity to push for areas you are genuinely interested in.

I was put on a 3 day on-boarding training course. This was very informative, and helped me get to grips with the company and its infrastructure quickly. I was also subsidised to get to 3 other sites, including 2 RAF bases. They were very supportive of finding and exploring opportunities for me to go in to. I also had alot of time made availble for me to get information and guidance from colleagues, who were only happy to help or teach me with certain things.

Quite appealing, you need to achieve an 'Outstanding' rating for the placement, which not everyone gets. This allows you to go straight to assessment centre, so is by no means a guaranteed job. It does help filter out the first two stages of application though- including a phone interview.

Yes, it is what you make of it- personally, there were chances to go out nearly every weekend, or do other activities such as ice skating, camping, meals out, bowling nights and snooker. Chances are you will make a couple of good friends through the placement.

Preston was certainly reasonable. Snooker, bowling, meals out are all very reasonably priced. Nights out aren't too expensive either. Easily managable with the pay that you can acquire from BAE Systems.

It was good, not excellent. There are a good couple of clubs that get very busy on a Saturday night, with Friday nights being a little more quiet. There were many bars that are open slightly later, which make it very enjoayble.

With other interns and self organised, yes. I would've liked to get involved with some form of football which unfortunately didn't seem an option. The gym remained an option though, I spent a lot of time in a local, well priced gym.