Service Management Consultant intern. Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here at Microsoft. The opportunities provided represented real world work. There was nothing false about it and all of the work I have done this year has truly contributed to Microsoft's future, for the better. My experience of Microsoft's laid back management style permit me to get work done at my own pace, within reason of course where customer facing projects were concerned, but this worked well and motivated me to work harder.

Right from the start of the placement I felt valued by the team I was placed within. I sat within the IT Service Management team within Microsoft's Services arm. Responsible for team schedules and more I became quite a central team member from day one and, with changes I was given permission to implement in the latter half of the process now feel even more so. Colleagues often came to for questions around the teams current position in terms of availability etc. I was invited along to all Morale events hosted by the team and can't say I've ever been known as 'the intern' but a member of the team.

At the start of the placement I was placed in a team where the manager had sadly left the company. Things were a bit hit and miss for a month or so whilst there was a transition period to my now, current manager. Since this transition period however, I now feel that my manager truly supports my best interests, frequently reviews my performance and works with me on my personal development.

This varied in line with the businesses current position. I found that there were some days that were often quite quiet... whereas the next day it was all hands on deck to make alterations to our teams plans in line with a sudden project / customer requirement. Where I had nothing to do within my direct team Microsoft encourages interns to reach out and work together in '101 teams'. I joined 2 of these and became a Microsoft ambassador at Universities and represented the company across schools and events in the UK and Europe.

Loads. I honestly can't fault this. With Microsoft being the big machine that it was, I was somewhat hesitant at the start of my internship as to whether I would be truly allowed to work on meaningful projects. However, I would have to say I don't know why I thought that as it's infact - far from the truth. From the appointment of my now current manager I worked to rebrand my team internally, recreated our public facing website and corporate presentations and later, was allowed to make a significant contribution to our teams financials - from creating the tool, all the way through to reporting on our current progress to our departments general manager.

My degree, Enterprise Computing, is very Cloud Computing focussed. And Microsoft's current Cloud stance has gone a long way in helping me develop skills in these areas. As an intern I have been afforded several opportunities to speak with Microsoft Azure team members (Microsoft's cloud offering) and learn just what the platform can do. Whilst I like my degree, I felt it was lacking some business aspects, such as financial forecasting and operations etc. In my team I have managed to gain exposure to these areas.. it has almost definitely filled that gap.

Very chilled. It's definitely not an environment where you have to wear suits everyday. You feel comfortable and relaxed at work and that's something I enjoyed. If you fancied getting away from work, the management style previously mentioned allows you to take a stroll around the grounds of the campus and nearby river or perhaps go to the gym, costa or starbucks (all on campus).

Initially I was quite disappointed as I was allocated a role that later turned out to be not available. However, the new role has certainly taught me a lot about myself and I feel the structure of the overall programme is excellent. The onboarding of interns varies from department to department, but I have to say that in Services, this was spot on. The HR team responsible for the interns also did a great job at keeping us in the loop with the happenings at the organisation and were also there, during frequent drop in sessions, to discuss concerns (if any). If I could change one thing, it would probably be the opportunity to rotate around business divisions.

The company allowed me plenty of opportunities to shadow my team members in the field, and I have also had a large opportunity to represent Microsoft at events, such as Future Decoded, EGX and Office 365 Roadshows.

High, and appealing, but the chances are quite slim for the official GRAD scheme in comparison to number of intern hires.. but through my work with various teams in Microsoft I've learnt you can also return as a contractor too.. so there is plenty of opportunity.

Definitely. In fact I would say that I have made stronger bonds here than I some of the people at university. Reading as a location is great, considering it's size and is an easy 40 minute rail trip to the capital.

I paid around £380 per month for my shared, 5 bed house. However, this was top of the scale.. A lot of interns paid around £300 - £340 a month when living a few mins walk from the office.

Great, considering the size of the town and I would say bare that in mind. However, if you're after your nightlife, there's many other locations nearby too.. such as London (which can be a bit more expensive, but still great). I didn't have a problem with Reading to be honest -- others did. But, there is a huge variety of bars and social areas... just look for them :-) Like those along the river, for example.

Not organised by Microsoft necessarily, although as interns in Services we were rewarded for our handwork with tickets for Thorpe Park.