IP Student Review
by GSK
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
4.6
-
The Company
4.0
-
The Culture
2.8
- 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
Best decision I ever made.
Everybody was very welcoming and made an effort to include all of the new students with celebrations and cake breaks (of which there were many!).
I had the best supervisor who helped me both with my practical lab skills, how to think critically and also in writing my final University report.
The nature of experimental work means there are busy periods and quiet periods, but there was always something to do if you were pro-active about looking for it. On the other hand, I never felt my workload was burdening and my supervisor would always ask me if I had the time to do something before giving me a new task.
More than I expected! After being given the initial protocol we were left to organise our experiments to fit into our own timetables. I found this really helped me improve my time management and work more effectively.
When I started my placement I wasn't sure about a career in research, but last year gave me the skills and confidence to secure a PhD position (which I've just started and am loving!).
The Company
Friendly and relaxed. The whole office would often engage in conversation, or just a few members at a time. But it is a workplace so at times everyone would be working silently, but that was good because it gave me a chance to focus too.
From the GSK's perspective I think the placement was organised really well, any disorganisation came from my University!
All the students were actively encouraged to take as much as we could from the year - to ask other members of staff to show us the techniques they use, take tours of other departments and to attend the frequent lectures by both internal and external guest speakers. But at the same time it was up to us to be pro-active in taking the opportunities that were presented.
Flexi Time
Sports and Social Club
Subsidised/Company Gym
Company Parties/Events
Subsidised Canteen
Financial Bonus
Staff Sales/Staff Shop
I would love to go back after my PhD.
The Culture
There were about 120 students at the GSK Stevenage site and most lived in house shares in the area so there would often be nights out or socials in the evenings organised by IP Unite. There were also bigger events with the students from London and Ware including a boat party down the Thames. The work Christmas dinner was really good too and we went to Cambridge last year.
Not too expensive considering how close we were to London.
Stevenage doesn't have the biggest choice for a night out, but Kings Cross is a 25 minute train away so we went into London quite a lot.
There was a football league and other sports available at the on-site gym.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
South East
October 2014
