Summer Diversity Intern Review

The internship albeit starting later than anticipated was still a great experience. I was placed within the HR for IT department whereby I was given a lot of autonomy to organise events, help reconstruct the mentoring system at work and play a useful role within the team on an array of tasks. I also managed to travel frequently due to the nature of the role which I relished as it gave me the scope to see new places coupled with engaging with a medley of people.

At first when starting the internship I was sceptical of the significance of my role but with time I managed to somewhat carve my own role which made me feel a valued member of the team. I was given an array of tasks which kept the job interesting whilst challenging at certain times too.

I was given quite a lot of support from my line managers whereby although at the beginning there was not a clear cut answer to what my specific role was - this was ultimately changed with the support of my line managers. My mentor also helped in this domain who also helped arrange trips to job centres as part of my job as well as visiting other government departments which allowed me to obtain a real insight in to the nature public sector.

My role can be described as being quite multifaceted and due to this I was kept quite busy throughout the placement, whereby I embarked on many tasks as well as attending an ample number of events at the same time. Thus, I was never to bored!

With this being the first time I worked within the open sector, this was an eye opening experience for me where at first I did question the legitimacy of how much my work would have an positive impact for the team. Despite this, with time it was clear I was given more responsibility and what I put it was definitely what I would got out of it!

A lot of my skills were enhanced through working for DWP and this comprised of team working, communication and my troubleshooting skills. This definitely assisted in my studies as I learnt that I could manage working full time whilst managing other jobs and commitments whereby having the capacity for this enabled me to work even harder in my degree.

The office was generally a great atmosphere although I had to hot desk around I enjoyed working in the office. Most people were always up for having a laugh or having a chat in between working which made it a fun place to work at.

This was the probably the only caveat of working on this internship where I felt especially during the first part of my internship I was a little lost as to my exact role. Yet this was rectified through speaking with my line managers which meant that I could effectively ensure I made the most of working for DWP.

This was one of the great things about working with DWP as they allow you to try and develop as a person. I felt that I grew in terms of my emotional intelligence and communication skills which was monitored through frequent meetings with my managers as well as the mandatory exit interview. Within this interview, I had the chance to look at my own application and see where I could improve what I had wrote/said in my first interview for the role which was very useful for future employment opportunities.

DWP does not have its own specific graduate scheme yet an individual who has taken the internship has the chance to apply for the Fast Stream Graduate scheme. Working as an intern also helps in your application but does not fast track it at all. Therefore, the scheme that is open is quite appealing but something that I would not like to apply to straight away after graduating.

Yes there was a lot of interns - we has are own Facebook page and would often go out for drinks and meals together. There was a lot of value placed on getting to know each other and this made the job more enjoyable on the whole.

Based in London where I am so I lived at home thus saving on accommodation so it was not to bad but others that relocated for the role did not struggle for money either.

It was great - based in St James Park so was very central.

Not a lot but most of the interns did try and organise some events now and again.