SDIP Intern Review
by Civil Service
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
2.5
-
The Company
2.4
-
The Culture
1.1
- 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 my internship as a whole, but I found it difficult to have enough work to do as some of the work was sensitive. Also, it was the summer and my manager and people in the office were away a lot which could be quite lonely and I could have done with more guidance.
I didn't get to know my colleagues that well, I was based at HM Revenue & Customs which has a very old age demographic so we didn't have that much in common. I felt appreciated and respected though.
My manager was away a lot on holiday or travelling so he wasn't that accessible, I felt that some of the work could be quite slow because I was having to wait a long time for responses or feedback.
At times I had a lot to do, but for the majority of the time spent in the office, I would have preferred to have more work.
Some of the work was sensitive, but I was given tasks that were exclusively my own, which made me feel like I was actually doing useful work.
The internship won't help much towards my degree, but it has provided excellent experience that I can use in job applications. It has also taught me more about the kind of job I would like to do in the future.
The Company
The people in my office were quite old, and they were often part-time, working from home, travelling or on holiday so you didn't see the same people day to day. There was never any socialising outside of work, Everyone was friendly and welcoming though.
The application stage and the opening receptions seemed very organised, but I think more thought should have gone into where we were placed and the sorts of people who would be our managers so that everyone had a similar experience. I was on the programme because I wanted to join the Fast Stream, but I never got to see what a Fast Streamer actually did, it would have been helpful if there was one in my office.
There were events on which helped develop team work and networking skills. I am also now on a coaching programme with a recruitment agency that should help me be successful in my Fast Stream application.
Very, I have applied for the graduate Fast Stream scheme, as well as to the HMRC graduate scheme.
The Culture
We would see each other at events and around the building, but we rarely socialised in our own time. When we did meet up it was nice, but it would have been good to see the other interns more and get to know them better.
I lived at home, but socialising in Central London is expensive!
I didn't sample the nightlife in Central London.
No, there were no alternative activities in HMRC.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
London
November 2014
