Quality Specialist Engineer Review

I enjoted the placement as I found it to be a challenge. The departement I worked in was responible for testing the integration of prototype engines to a new series of MINI. This involved lots of days testing at the track which was alwasy fun.

I felt very valued and for the last few months of my placement I was an integral part of the team.

At first not so much but then there was a change of management and I was given much better support and guidance.

The nature of the job meant that I was either very busy or not doing very much depending on if there was a new build phase ready to evaluate.

For the final three months of my placement I was given the responsibility for the quality of diesel engines. This meant finding and reporting all issues with the diesel engines and meeting with development engineers to improve the final design.

Quality engineering is not a subject touched upon by my course however when I returned to university I found that I was much better at time management.

Very good, we frequently meet outside of work to soicalise and cycle together. The team is mostely made up of young engineers.

Not very, there was no structure at all. I was just a worker in the team for a year. I was ok with this as it gives you a better view of how the job would be after university.

No offical personal training or development program, I was free to do my own work.

Very good, after my placement I was put on a scheme called the speed up program which allows me to enter the companies graduate scheme as soon as I graduate without having to go though the employment process again.

There was a few offical team outings but often I would go out with a few colleagues either for drinks or cycling.

Expensive. I believe Oxford is the most expensive place to live in the UK in terms of average living cost again average wage.

Oxford has a pretty good nightlife for its size.

You could decide your own level of involvement. If you didn't want to go out there was no obligation to. I got on well with my colleagues so we would often socialise outside of work.