This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
I enjoyed it very much, the work was interesting and my fellow interns were fun. It helped that we lived in the same area as well. I also enjoyed the networking opportunities presented to us.
I genuinely feel that I had a lot of input in terms of my day to day job, particularly with regards to the project work I undertook for around four weeks. My supervisor sat down with me every week to discuss my progress and took time out of his day every day to ensure that I was shadowing the best people whenever I could.
I could have asked my manager any question and ask for any support. Apart from regular one to ones I knew that they always had time to listen to my concerns. What I found useful is that apart from guidance regarding the internship I was getting a lot of tips for my future career, It is thanks to my manager that I was given so many opportunities and enjoyed my time so much.
I was working on projects so there were times where I had time to do training or simply network with other colleagues and there were times when I had to stay longer to finish my tasks. Every time that happened though, I felt that it's my choice to work a little bit longer and nobody is pressuring me.
I was given a lot of responsibility and trust. As an inexperienced member of the team I was actually surprised that I was representing the team in front of important people within the organisation. Sometimes it made me feel a bit pressured but that just meant that I was giving 200%.
I found out what it's like to work for a corporation, handle working with colleagues all over the world over Telepresence or simply talk to people that are higher up than me. I became more comfortable in a professional setting and saw what my life can look like if I work hard.
The Company
The atmosphere in my office was probably one of just a few disadvantages of the internship. The offices were big with loads of teams working in each and nobody really knew each other well. I haven't met anybody in my office apart from my team.
It was really good organised with all the events evenly spread out and many opportunities to meet other interns at the beginning. The interns always knew what needs to be done on a specific date or by the end of a specific week. We always knew we can contact the HR team in case of any difficulties.
I got a lot of training, got to shadow people from other departments just out of interest and developed a lot professionally and personally. Regular one to ones with my manager concentrated on my development and future career whereas training prepared me to start any job in a related field even right now.
Flexi Time
Subsidised Canteen
Subsidised/Company Gym
Working from home
I got an offer for a graduate program within the company which I am very pleased about. The only disadvantage is that the graduate program needs to be in the same department and location as the internship which makes it a bit inflexible for such a big company.
The Culture
Most of the interns lived together in accommodation organised by the company. This ensured that everybody knew each other and there was a lot of social life going on. There was a lot of bonding events at the beginning as well.
I lived in a house nearby and paid as much as I pay for my university accommodation. Additionally all interns got a relocation bonus at the beginning so I can't really complain. When I worked in London the company paid all my expensive related to food and accommodation as well.
Bournemouth is an amazing place for the summer. There is a beach, loads of clubs and other events going on. It's always crowded as there is a lot of international students coming over to English schools. Can't imagine a better place to be in the summer!
As I was working in two different locations I couldn't really get involved in any other activities than socialising.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
South West
July 2015