Primary Laboratory Scientist Industial Placement Review

I really enjoyed my placement year at GSK. Some of the work was repetitive in terms of the testing we were doing, but overall the environment was very different to anything I have experienced at University, and learning about the corporate side of chemistry was very useful. Students are fully enveloped in the organisation.

We had really good relationships within our immediate teams, which was really important to the year. We did provide a valuable resource to senior individuals who very regularly asked us to do tasks and sometimes this was frustrating to meet their expectations for sometimes petty tasks, but the project work was very rewarding and we got to work with a variety of people across this site and others.

Support was excellent from my manager and nearly everyone was happy to help with whatever you asked of them.

Some days were incredibly busy with lots of testing and analysis, some days there was less to do, but then there was always extra project analysis to fill the time with or reading to do. Most often days were busy.

Within a few months we had full responsiblitity of whatever tasks we were assigned, although if we wanted extra help or advice it was always avaiable if we asked.

Although the chemistry was mostly unrelated to my degree, I learned how to use several new pieces of equipment which are standard to most workplaces and later years at University that I had not yet had the opportunity to use. Hopefulyl this will be helpful when I come to apply for jobs in the future as I am already familiar with a few techniques.

I got on really well with my colleagues and spent a lot of time with them outside of work. The atmosphere was full of humour.

Mostly everything was well organised with training and settling into the organisation.

I was taught a lot of new techniques which was really helpful as part of my day-to-day job. Otherwise I only attended complusory training for someone in my role for things such as safety and about the organisation.

I would be very happy to work for GSK again in later life, although I would like to experience some other roles before I make any decisions.

We regularly met up and did things nearly every week, which was a great experience. There was a good mix of personailities so everyone had a good chance of meeting someone with whom they would get on with very well.

I lived at home for my placement year. Socialising was no more expensive than anywhere else in the UK.

The town itself only really had pubs, although we were close to a city with lots of nightlife that was accessible by train or bus.

Not for placement students, apart from bake sales to bring in to work.