Summer Intern Review

by Metaswitch Networks

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.5/5
  • The Role
    3.9
  • The Company
    3.6
  • The Culture
    2.9

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

    • I found my internship at Metaswitch a really worthwhile experience. I came to the company with very little programming experience, but I really enjoyed all the learning opportunities that my internship offered and the fact that I got to work with very friendly and very passionate people.

    4/5
  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

    • What made me feel most valued was the trust that my team had in me and the fact that I was given proper responsibility over a task of similar size and importance to what full-time employees would take on. The atmosphere in the office was very friendly and

    5/5
  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

    • My initial briefing could have been better, but that was because our project was just getting started and things were still volatile. However, things settled along the way and I got a lot of help and advice from my manager and other developers in my team. If I had any technical issues someone would usually solve the problem within an hour, so that nothing would get in the way of my work flow.

    4/5
  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

    • Most of the time I could finish my work between 9.30 and 6. There were a few days when I had to stay a bit late (until 8pm) to finish off a task, but overall it was manageable and I never got bored!

    4/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • I was given responsibility over a task similar to what a full-time employee would take on, but my deadlines took into account my lack of experience and I was given the appropriate support to complete the tasks.

    4/5
  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

    • The programming and design skills I picked up will be very useful for my computational projects at university. I also got to improve my teamwork, communication and presentation skills, which I expect will be helpful in every aspect of my professional life.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

    • Extremely friendly! My team often went out to lunch together, we chatted when there was something funny going on at work, there was a kitchen where we could get tea and biscuits and an area with couches where we could relax at lunchtime. There was also a "team morale" event while I was there - we all went punting to Grantchester and had a very good time. Every intern also got starting and leaving drinks, which was very nice.

    4/5
  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

    • Very well organised. The recruitment process was quick and efficient, I got information about my accommodation plenty of time in advance. I was always kept up to date with what was going on and where I needed to be on certain days, and there was a week when interns from all the UK offices got together for a "presentation & feedback" session and a hackathon. That week in particular proves that Metaswitch go out of their way to organize a really good experience for their interns.

    4/5
  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

    • Both my manager and my mentor had time set aside for teaching me programming and design skills, and many other in the team helped out, so there was a lot of time invested in my training. The presentation session and hackathon were also great training opportunities.

    3/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • Flexi Time

    Company Parties/Events

    Above 25 days holiday
    4/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • Quite appealing. I am uncertain between two career paths, but if I decide to continue with software development I will definitely come back!

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

    • Yes, we all lived together in a house organised by the company and we got along very well. When we went to Enfield it seemed that the group of interns from there (much bigger, about 30 of them) were good friends.

    4/5
  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

    • Cambridge is a fairly expensive city, but the accommodation was subsidized by our company and we had big supermarkets close to where we lived, which helped a lot.

    3/5
  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

    • I don't know.

    3/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • Yes, there are plenty of clubs and societies in Cambridge, some of which run during the summer as well.

    3/5
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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

East of England

August 2015

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