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
The job was made a very enjoyable experience for me through the help of the layout and the enthusiasm of the rest of the team around me. I was able to get involved in a wide range of tasks, a lot of which were fairly hands on despite my lack of expertise in the area, which meant I really felt I gained a lot from the experience.
I couldn't fault the amount of involvement I had within my team and how valued I felt by them. They kept up with my progress regularly, made sure I was asking all the questions I wanted and got me involved in lots of team activities so I could get to know everyone better. Definitely a huge part of what made the internship so great for me.
I was given a fair bit of guidance, on my first day in the office I had a meeting with my people manager who went through my objectives with me, setting out what I should aim to achieve during my internship. Some things I was left to sort out for myself but this was a very important part of learning how to manage time/tasks in the office and something I think made the internship beneficial.
My capacity varied during the internship. Some days I wasn't able to do much work, because it was holiday season so a lot of staff members were away and generally people seemed to have not as much on. However I would say about 80% of the time I was kept very busy with tasks to do for different people, and was able to get involved in a number of different tasks which gave my days a lot of variety.
I was given quite a lot of responsibility considering again my lack of expertise in the field. On a few occasions I was given brief for a project and then left to complete it on my own, to a deadline. As much as this was challenging at times it was very rewarding, and definitely a great way to learn.
Very much so. I think I added a lot to my timekeeping and management skills, because I had to get involved in a lot of meetings and was given briefs by senior members of staff on a regular basis, meaning my communication improved. Also due to the variety of work I was given, all to different deadlines and a lot of the time for different people, time management and organisaton was essential-something that's key to success in both my future career and my studies!
The Company
The atmosphere in the office was great from the moment I started working. The team were great fun, and were all very hardworking. They often organised team lunches, or events for after work for everyone to get involved with, and generally everyone was very inclusive, and keen to have a laugh alongside doing work.
I think it was very well orgainsed. We had the first week which was inductions, and then the rest of the duration was just in the office completing work for our team members. It would have perhaps been nice to see a bit of different departments as part of the scheme, however we were offered the opportunity to organise this if we wished, so it wouldn't stop future employees from trying out a couple of different departments for a day here and there.
Very much so. I felt that the firm did a lot of extensive training with us, giving us skills both applicable in the outside world, and skills that will be very useful on returning to the firm.
Flexi Time
Subsidised Canteen
Subsidised/Company Gym
Company Parties/Events
There are great reward schemes within the firm, and generally a lot of perks of having a full time position. The team also made it quite clear early on that they would be very keen to take me on as a graduate, which was really nice to know during my time there.
The Culture
I made some really good friends on the internship that I still keep in touch with now, definitely a great social scene and nice to have people in the same boat as you to talk to.
I was in manchester city centre so most of the places in the middle of town could be a bit expensive, but there were equally plenty of places that were great value for money, so I wouldn't say I felt held back by the location.
I didn't go out that much during my internship but norther quarter and spinning fields were great fun when I went!
Yeah, lots of the time activities were planned for after work, and there were lots of places for people to go in the city centre. Ie shops, cinema, bowling etc.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
North West
July 2015