Mechanical Engineering Intern Review

I loved this internship. I have enjoyed my internship because the content of work that I have been involved with has been interesting and varied within reason. I have been able to work on Type 45 ships and well as maintain the grounds of Portsmouth Naval Base, both relevant and both amazing experiences. I have also had the best team to support me! This is a real credit to BAE Systems because the atmosphere in my office is infectious and makes your day better by just being there. I will really miss my team because of this and they have definitely been the main reason my internship has been enjoyable and why I look forward to coming into work.

I fitted in right from the start. It only took a couple of days to find my feet and have been treated like an equal throughout my internship. Even if I got stuck or had a daft question, I was never sent away and my colleagues would always make time to sit down with me to make sure that I understood what was going on and what I needed to do. Then, once I'd completed a task they'd show me what it was going towards and I would feel like I'd actually made a difference and helped in some way.

They were always contactable if I had any problems or questions. During my internship, I never once heard anyone say "No, I'm too busy" or turn anyone away and that makes my managers very reliable in my eyes. If I need them, they will be there to help, support and guide me through the issue.

I've had multiple projects, all very different. Managing them all has been a personal stretch for me but I feel that it has developed my time management skills immensely and my managers were constantly asking and reviewing my work load. They always asked if I had enough to do and if I said "Yes, I've got loads to do!" they would clarify and check that it wasn't too much for me to cope with.

I was given the task of Project Manager for BAE Systems' annual Internship Conference. This involved organising 2 conferences at different locations in the country and managing a team of 18 to make the conference a success. For 2 months, we all worked ridiculously hard and it paid off. It was an amazing conference and it was a great feeling knowing that I'd organised and managed the team that pulled off "The best conference so far!"

Not only have I broadened my engineering skills as I have been working with the Civil Engineering department despite the fact that I study Mechanical Engineering, I have also developed my working attitude. I now know that it is possible to get up early every day and do a full day’s work as well as maintain various social activities. As a university student, my day didn't normally start until 10am and now I feel much more productive as a person and I hope I can continue with this attitude. I have also developed my social skills and feel able to ask questions of new people if they have the answers I need. Before this internship, I'd have found a work around but I have now learnt to be more confident and take a more efficient approach to a problem - ask someone who already has the answers.

A social one, but a hard working one. My office is a very close knit group of people and it has been great being a part of that, even if it was only for 12 weeks. I have had the best team to support me! This is a real credit to BAE Systems because the atmosphere in my office is infectious and makes your day better by just being there. I will really miss my team because of this and they have definitely been the main reason my internship has been enjoyable and why I look forward to coming into work.

My experience was very smooth. I haven't been waiting around for IT to sort themselves out or had find alternate jobs to do because I didn't have the correct PPE. When I arrived, I basically hit the ground running with no major issues. It was all pretty seamless and I could just get involved and start making a difference from day one.

There are many options that I could look into. The company seems very interested in keeping me on after I graduate from university and after my experiences, if I was offered a position I wouldn't turn it down. There are multiple graduate schemes that suit different people and I believe that is a good idea as you want to be on a scheme that suits you and your interests. I am still quite early on in my university education so I'm not 100% sure what I want to do yet, but BAE Systems has so many options that I am pretty much certain that I will be working here again in no time!

The interns and industrial placement students have a very close network, we are all very social and I don't think my internship experience would have been the same without them in it. It's nice to look forward to lunch breaks, not because you need the break, but because you get to share and discuss that morning's work. We also go out for drinks most weeks and I feel like I have known them a lot longer than 12 weeks. It is crucial for any intern to build up a strong network of people who are in a similar position so that if you ever have a bad day, they can relate and turn it around for you, make you feel better about yourself and your tasking so you can go back in and work through the problem. They are also there to celebrate with you when you've cracked it and done a good job of it!

I work in Portsmouth as well as go to university there so I personally think it's amazing! The other interns agree and so we have some really good nights out. They always comment on the locals but I think I might just be used to them now after probably being in the same category as them a couple of times. I really do enjoy the nightlife and going out with people from work just adds to the already brilliant atmosphere!