Summer Intern Review

by Metaswitch Networks

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.2/5
  • The Role
    3.4
  • The Company
    3.4
  • The Culture
    2.5

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

    • It was an enjoyable experience. I completed a pretty challenging extended coding project and improved my understanding of many important programming concepts. I also enjoyed giving team talks and presentations about my work to other members of my team. This helped me develop my communication skills. The workplace environment was very pleasant and social activities took place very regularly

    4/5
  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

    • My colleagues were very supportive, and I felt that my contribution was valued. They were very happy to offer me help and advice, and there was a strong team spirit.

    4/5
  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

    • My manager was an excellent sounding board for ideas. He provided me with regular feedback, and he was always willing to help me deal with issues that I encountered. The code reviews and the assessed communications exercises were extremely helpful; I received rapid and constructive feedback.

    5/5
  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

    • It varied. When there were imminent deadlines, I had to get through a lot of tasks

    3/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • I was given an initial brief / specification that was quite prescriptive, but I had free rein over many of the implementation decisions.

    3/5
  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

    • This will help me with the Computational Projects coursework that I will be completing over the course of the next two years

    3/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

    • Very pleasant; we have an open-plan office that is usually quite quiet. Team members sit close together and technical discussions take place regularly.

    4/5
  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

    • It was very well structured overall; I was given an Individual Development Plan and I was expected to produce a weekly status report that was subsequently reviewed in a status meeting. The briefs for my project were prepared very thoroughly, so I always knew what was expected of me. Other talks and meetings were scheduled very efficiently.

    4/5
  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

    • Invested quite heavily in me: Education: my manager helped me develop my Python programming skills and gave me regular code reviews: these were very helpful / I also had to learn about the underlying software architecture; again, I was given lots of support and guidance Effective communications course for interns: verbal and non-verbal communication (individual development plans and training documents)

    4/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • Flexi Time

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    Financial Bonus

    Company Parties/Events
    4/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • Appealing: lots of support and guidance is offered to new starters / friendly working environment / financial bonuses

    3/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

    • Yes: there were about 30 interns here and lots of intern social events were organised. Got to know the other interns in my company house very well

    3/5
  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

    • Not too expensive: food in the shops was reasonably priced

    3/5
  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

    • Can't really comment on that

    3/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • Yes: the company has many clubs and societies (some of these meet at lunchtimes). Interns also organise more spontaneous events

    3/5
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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

Computer Systems Engineering

London

September 2014

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