Chocolate and Technology Scientist Review
by Mars
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
4.2
-
The Company
4.2
-
The Culture
3.1
- 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 enjoyed the work and the people I got to work with. However I would suggest not living in Slough as I did as there isn't a lot to do.
Everyone was very friendly.
Support was given and excellent when actively sought out which was both a good and a bad thing. It was good to be forced to be proactive but at the same time it was easy to feel forgotten at times.
There would be periods of being very busy and periods of lull where there was nothing to do. during periods where I didn't have my own work to do I could always find someone who needed help with theirs.
I was given a project which I had fair amount of control over the direction of.
My placement was a great opportunity to work on 'soft skills' such as communication and decision making. This was a excellent as it filled the gap left in this area by my degree course. Returning to uni this skills will facilitate my learning as getting assistance and planning my time become easier.
The Company
The Slough offices are open plan which makes most people approachable. There were often events in the cafe for various things such as the world cup which had lots of fun activities.
During the first week there was a lot of support from HR however as the year went on support stopped.
I had lots of opportunities to attend internal training events such as presenting and chocolate courses. I also was able to become proficient with equipment and systems used by Mars.
Flexi Time
Sports and Social Club
National Travel
Financial Bonus
Company Parties/Events
Staff Sales/Staff Shop
Healthcare/Dental
Being a large organisation there are a lot of opportunities and the work culture is very appealing to return to. Although in the past they have been bad at converting placement students to full time employees they seemed to be making an effort to change this in my time there.
The Culture
It was ok. Required travelling to other towns though.
2 huge supermarkets make living cheap enough. Socialising involves traveling which pushes up the cost. The salary of the scheme covers the cost of living without too much trouble.
Ha ha ha. Nightlife in Slough is shocking. London is not far away once you are at the train station but it is hard to find housing a reasonable distance from to the train station. Live in Reading or London if you want a Nightlife on your placement with Mars.
There are a few company sports clubs to get involved with which are a lot of fun.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
South East
October 2014
