SDIP Intern Review

Whilst I hoped to be far busier and be consistently given more challenging work to do, I did feel I contributed overall towards a piece of work which was later published by the government. Colleagues were friendly and enjoyable to work with, and it was a great insight into understanding Civil Service, life as a Fast Streamer, and what working for various departments under the Civil Service entails.

Overall I felt quite valued and a part of the teams that I was involved with. I was invited to many team events and I was regularly invited to be involved with work meetings to offer my input for how certain projects should proceed.

My manager and other senior colleagues were always willing and happy to help me if I came across any difficulties whilst undertaking any of my assigned tasks.

Initially there was not much to do and I was unclear as to what tasks were available for me to actually be able to undertake for the internship period. However after 1 week, I was given much more responsibility to complete tasks which were crucial for senior management as well as regularly attending team briefings and external governmental meetings. This was supplemented by Civil Service wide events every few weeks.

Initially I felt like I didn't have much responsibility, however as the weeks went on, I was given a bigger project which included meeting with many colleagues and contributing substantially to a departmental publication.

Existing skills such as using spreadsheets, creating presentations etc. were continued to be utilised and developed which is a vital skill and applicable for work in a number of industries.

Whilst the atmosphere was quiet generally, my colleagues were enjoyable to be around and so it was a friendly and fun atmosphere.

At times I felt like I was being under-utilised and so I felt that the internship could have better been organised to offer more work to do/more responsibility. However the internship also included many events which gave an insight into a number of departments across the Civil Service, which was invaluable.

I had the opportunity to attend a number of internal seminars about personal development.

The SDIP Internship whilst not direct bearing on being offered employment within the Civil Service, did offer a great way to understand the competencies needed to be successful in applying for the Fast Stream.

The departmental wide events were a great way to meet interns in a range of departments, including from the opening ceremony initially. With a number of Government departments being clustered in an area, it was fairly easy to meet regularly with other interns, creating a good social scene.

London living costs

Central London is great for nightlife, with a number of bars and clubs available within working distance.

There were many Internship organised activities including Civil Service simulations, seminars, work shadowing etc. which was a fantastic way to gain wider exposure.