Programme Management Review

It was a great year, with ups and downs, but I'm extremely glad to have chose a placement year instead of a year abroad. The company and the people were great, and I felt IBM treated me with respect.

My colleagues treated me as an integral part of the team, and not "the intern". I was given the same/more responsibility than more senior members of the team when the team leader felt I was more skilled for some tasks, or had the most experience.

I had two managers: one for my daily work (Task Manager), and one for my personal development (Early Professionals Manager, EPM). Both worked together on making sure I was doing a good job, and filling business needs, but also that the company was aligning with my own career development goals. My EPM especially was fantastic, as she always supported me with my decisions while ensuring I was fully aware of the risks I would be taking.

It varied from extremely busy to somewhat relaxed with spare time to finish personal things, but overall I was kept very busy the whole year. Usually I'd have to prioritise at the beginning of the day to make sure I didn't start too many tasks and end up not finishing any that day. One could say I was almost too busy as it was rare I made it out of the office at 5!

Compared to some of my friends doing placements in other companies, we (at IBM) were given a lot more responsibility than our peers. I would be supervising some other team members and act as deputy for my manager (an Executive) in front of the client when she was away or couldn't meet them. I would be responsible for documents and processes, as well as task delegation when and where needed.

I believe I've matured immensely through this year in industry, and I'm very glad I chose it over year abroad. I got to travel during my holidays, but also lived in London for a whole year - and only on my salary, no loans! Skills such as professional communication and team facilitation go a long way, not only for my studies but also for my applications for either a Masters or Graduate jobs. Experiencing the corporate world, even for the year, has made me much more aware on how to work efficiently, which I look forward to applying once I'm back at uni.

The atmosphere was great, with everyone being very helpful, no matter the question, or their seniority. You can walk up to anyone and ask for a quick chat, or a coffee to learn about what they do. Senior executives actively encourage younger employees (Gap Year and Placement students, Apprentices, Graduates) to contact them whichever way they feel comfortable, and give us some of their time to answer our questions - Great! IBM also lets its employees be themselves - come up with new ideas and ways to do things, and has its own council for Innovation and New Ideas. I was encouraged to think outside of the box, which made the team look differently on some things, but also made me want to listen to other people, as I knew they were coming up with ideas while genuinely trying to improve the way we worked.

Well organised from the start, with a Facebook group for all new interns, and location specific groups as well. That way we could find people to live with, as well as get to know people beforehand. We had a short induction before our placement, and have regular updates and skills sessions dedicated to us.

IBM provides a vast array of Education and Training courses, some of them free to the business you work in, some of them not. For the paying courses, I had to put together a business case justifying why the course would be useful to me and the work I'm doing (or my career), but provided the cases were pertinent I was approved for a number of courses I would never have been able to get on other than through a company. I felt really appreciated as an individual, and that IBM truly cared about investing in me, even without the certainty that I would be applying back as a Graduate.

The Graduate scheme is so varied and flexible that applying back seems a very good choice. Roles range from Sales in the field, with the client, to IT development, and maintenance, but also including roles in Finance, Marketing and HR. The great education and training only gets better, as more courses are available to Graduates (compared to Placement Students), and the Entry salary is above average for the industry. Applying back is also made easy, with a very streamlined process. Depending on how well you did during the year, you'll either go to Assessment Centre or go straight to interview, and if you're lucky enough to already have a manager expressing interest in hiring you back as a Graduate you could get the job right away!

Being based in London Southbank (next to Waterloo station and the ITV studios), the Intern community was great. We had our own dedicated group on Facebook, where people would post events they were going to, or parties that were going on. We also had drinks every Thursday, and some Karaoke when staying past 9pm, which made for a great laugh. We also had a Christmas get-together, as well as an End of Placement black tie boat party, which rounded off the year with a bang!

Costs were London prices (a lot more than at university), but we would get 10 to 20% discount in a lot of places around work, so it made everything a bit more bearable. All the socialising was doable on our salary though, so no fear!

Great nightlife with Covent Garden across the bridge, and Central London as well as Clapham both a few tube stop away.

Within and outside IBM, there were sports clubs, social events, trips, etc. IBM participates in the corporate games every year, which is an event where big companies compete against each other over the course of a long weekend. There are about 20 sports, and each company sends teams for each sport.