Vacation Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement with Arup. Having already completed placements with the company and within the Newcastle office, I knew what to expect in terms of professional challenge and office atmosphere. It was everything I wanted from a summer placement.

The atmosphere within the office really is brilliant; everyone shows a real interest in you as a person, what you are currently doing at university and where you're studying etc. The extra-curricular atmosphere at Arup is also absolutely brilliant. There is always someone organising something during the week, even if it is just a beer and a chat after work.

All personnel are hugely supportive in everything you do. The open plan atmosphere within the office means both immediate and senior management are always available to answer questions and always give their time without issue. The same can be said for specialists in other offices who are always willing to discuss potential solutions via phone and email.

Work within the office is always varied. One week you may be working on a number of projects for a couple of hours apiece and the next week you may have a large piece of work to do on one project. My time was spent predominantly on one project with various other pieces of work to ensure that each day was interesting and challenging. The work is there and the staff are more than happy to get you involved.

Having already completed successful placements within the Newcastle office (and within the same team), the responsibility I was given was probably more than most. It is always worth remembering that working as part of a team means that guidance and reassurance are never far away should they be required, so you are left to feel real ownership for the work you do, safe in the knowledge that support is always there.

An understanding of design communication and project progression will undoubtedly prove useful in my final year and career beyond.

Free thinking, young and fun. The camaraderie is excellent.

Generally placements are only offered if there is likely to be work there for you to do. Depending on your previous experience, the placement will be structured accordingly.

Arup is massively pro training and development. The Newcastle office is the location of frequent ICE and IStructE lectures and courses. On top of this there are frequent lunchtime talks carried out on various topics to make sure that it is possible to really get a feel for what the company do and how they love to share knowledge. If you wish to take some time to learn about a new piece of software then there is always time there to be able to do this; the company is not driven by fees alone.

Having completed a summer placement before my final year, I was obviously interested in understanding whether this would put me at an advantage in terms of graduate employment. It is still necessary to apply through the online application process however, the opportunity to network and ensure that managers understand that you wish to pursue a career with Arup can mean that you can get a referral from within the company.

I relocated for my placement so having a group of people to socialise with straight from the get-go was absolutely brilliant. There was always a group heading out for drinks and food in the evenings after work at least once a week. It is an atmosphere of likeminded people who are always up for a laugh.

The cost of living in Newcastle is so cheap. I am at university in Bath which is relatively dear, so being able to buy a pint for less than £3 was extremely refreshing (in more ways than one!. There are so many options in terms of accommodation if you are required to relocate. I undertook a summer placement and chose to live in university halls of residence (which are generally unused during the summer months). Previously I lived in a student house during my summer placement and this was both cheaper and generally a bit more social.

Newcastle is Newcastle. Need I say more?

Arup have a great social scene. Over the course of my 3 placements with Arup I have done so much; from go karting on a weeknight, to the Arup football tournament in London, to completing the 3 Peaks Challenge. There is always something to do.