PULSE Administrator Review

Overall, it was an enjoyable placement as the work was mostly interesting and I got on well with the people. I enjoyed the level of responsibility I was given and the fact that I was trusted to be autonomous, it did not feel as though I was constantly being chased up or pressured as I was trusted to get my work done to a high standard and by the deadlines.

I felt valued by certain colleagues who were very appreciative and grateful of the work that I did. I also feel as though I was welcomed into the team well and included in any social activities. I felt valued in most team meetings where I would receive thanks and gratitude for any pieces of work I had done that had made an impact to the team.

I had weekly meetings with my manager whereby I would update them on what I was working on and ask them any questions I had. In the same meeting, they would request my help if they needed it on particular pieces of work. This was the only means of support/guidance I was given.

This varied greatly due to the nature of the team I was in and my job role. As the team I was in worked on a yearly cycle, some parts of the year were a lot busier than others. Therefore, some days I would have to try hard to pace myself to make sure I didn't get bored, whereas other days I would not have enough time to complete everything that I needed to. Overall, I would have preferred to have been too busy more of the time but this was not normally the case.

I was given a good level of responsibility and often went above and beyond my normal role. I was trusted with these and it was clear that I could ask for help if I was less certain on more complex tasks. I was given bigger responsibilities once I proved I had a good work ethic and was trustworthy.

I developed an array of skills and knowledge and overall built up confidence in a working environment. Particularly, I developed communication and project management skills in a professional environment which I think have been the most valuable learnings for me.

There was a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere, although it sometimes became very quiet. It was not a loud or exciting atmosphere but it was easy to work in and very calm, I did not feel pressured or uncomfortable.

There was a clear structure to the work I was doing and the placement student that handed over to me set out guidelines showing exactly what I would be involved in throughout the year and what my role would be at each stage of my placement. It was also clear throughout the team what my role was and what my responsibilities would be. My role was very established and well set up.

I had the opportunity to attend some training sessions outside of what my role required such as Personal Resilience and Facilitation skills. Attending these depends on the discretion of your line manager so this may vary throughout the company. I attending everything which I had an interest in.

There is the option of applying for the Graduate scheme, however you do not get much of a headstart as you would expect from being on a placement there. Because of the nature of the size of the company, it is compulsory to follow a certain process to allow for fair opportunities.

I lived at home on my placement year and saw more of my university friends than friends on placement. I socialised with fellow placement students at lunch times and there were outside work events but I didn't attend many of these. More often than not, I attended drinks with colleagues from my team rather than fellow placement students.

I was lucky enough to live at home so did not have any living costs. But socialising in London, as you can imagine is VERY expensive. GSK is in Brentford but you would usually travel into central London for after work events, where drinks in particular are a lot more than what you are used to paying as a student at university.

There was no nightlife immediately in Brentford. You would need to travel into London for more worthwhile nightlife. Although, there are some surrounding pubs and restaurants which I did attend in Brentford throughout the year.

I was not really aware of any activities outside of work that weren't social events (drinking/eating).