Technical Sales Engineer Review

Overall the placement was very enjoyable. The responsibilities of being a full time worker & the freedom to work on additional projects outside of the job role were noteworthy parts of the 13-month placement.

I felt very valued by my colleagues. This was evident through project ownership and general feedback received.

I joined the organisation through a huge transition period. My department/team was the last to be reformed and this was still occurring 2-3 months into my placement. Throughout this period I didn't have much support/guidance from my direct manager but once our team was assigned a new manager I felt very well supported immediately. My manager is always happy to make time for me if I need to speak with him.

Very dependent on the time of year- at the beginning of the internship (late Summer), it was pretty quiet. This meant I could get to grips with the role and meet people without already being burdened with a lot of ongoing projects. Further on into the internship there was always something I could be working on. Whether it was an official request from a team member or an optional project that I had volunteered for, there are very few moments where you can honestly say "I have nothing to do"!

As previously suggested, I was treated like a full time employee and had the responsibilities to match it. My role focuses on working heavily with customers and I was often given full control over small/medium sized projects once I'd proven to my team that I was capable. As I also attend a lot of events, I was often left to my own devices when it came to presentations and/or speaking to customers. The support was there if I needed it, but I was confident enough to crack on with the work without often needing much support.

In general, working at a company the size of Intel is always going to be a learning experience. Most of the skills I have picked up are technically minded and, whilst I do not plan on utilizing all of these skills in the distant future, it has undeniably been a fantastic opportunity to learn and develop myself.

I mostly work on my own in a lab. My direct team is scattered across Europe so there is very little face-to-face time. As a result, the general atmosphere in my direct working area is simply as fun as I make it. The office decor is pretty grim, but the people in my department are either working hard or laughing, so it's a very good work/fun balance.

Aside from the first few months of transition, which happens in any organisation, the placement was very well set up. I knew exactly who to go to if I needed help with anything placement-related and we've been asked multiple times what we can to do make it more enjoyable for future interns.

I didn't request much formal training (sitting exams etc), but any ad-hoc requests like "Can you show me how this works?", were acted upon very quickly. My colleagues genuinely seem to care about my progress as an individual as long as I put in the effort.

There are plenty of opportunities, but I think I will opt to work in a smaller organisation in the future.

Absolutely. There are ~45 interns on-site in Swindon. For the first few weeks there's plenty of opportunities to socialize and go on nights out together to break the ice.

Decent. We're paying £270/month for a really nice 4bed house not too far away from work. Drinks are OK, depends where you go. Plenty of cheaper options if you're inclined!

Depends what you want. Nightclub-wise, there's only a handful. I'd only suggest going to one- the rest are pretty sketchy. Loads of bars/pubs if you prefer that scene though.

There are plenty of work events arranged through the social committee. As always, depends what you're interested in.