Placement Year Review at Thales

The Role

Role Description

Responsible for the development and delivery of software solutions and services to clients.

- Regular communication with clients and co-suppliers via teleconference and email.
- Developed large-scale web applications (4m+ hits/day).
- Daily stand-up meetings with project team.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Had a great year and felt that I'd gained a great sense of what a career in software engineering would be like - something you just can't get through university education alone.

2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Worked as part of a great team, in which everyone was given a chance to contribute with their own ideas and thoughts. Colleagues were keen to learn from me and use new ideas.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Combination of support from line manager, team leader and the graduates on my team allowed me to ask as many 'stupid' questions as I needed to. Also assigned a graduate 'buddy' within of my development team, who was able to answer any day-to-day questions and provide general guidance.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

As with any development team there were quieter weeks, however, we were allowed to use this time to try out new ideas and prototypes or develop tools to automate the more tedious tasks.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Great balance between being given responsibility and having the people around me to ask for help when required. I was given exactly the same sort of tasks as the graduate members of my development team. An approachable atmosphere within the team meant that someone was always on hand if I felt out of my depth to guide me through the next step.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Invaluable experience gained in working life, software engineering and general approach to solving real-world problems rather than a text-book exercise. I also went on a professional training course for one of the languages/frameworks we developed using.

Gaining a sense of where the various modules of my degree would fit in to real world work has given me more focus during my final year at university.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Development team made up of a good mix of graduates and more experienced developers meant a great atmosphere within the team with everyone able to have a laugh. Everyone within the office was friendly and keen to say hello.

8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Placement was well organised from the quick processing of first/second round interviews to my first day and discussing potential career opportunities at the end of my placement.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Went on a professional training course for the language/framework we were using. Team leader was more than happy to invest in relevant books if they were needed, plus on-the-job guidance and explanations from colleagues.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

• Flexi Time
• Subsidised Canteen
• Sports and Social Club
• Subsidised/Company Gym
• Financial Bonus
• Company Parties/Events
• Staff Sales/Staff Shop
• Above 25 days holiday

11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Currently in the process of signing my contract for a job with Thales on their graduate programme.

Other Information

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

I was one of five placement students within the office, along with a number of graduates. Plenty of opportunities to socialise from trips to the pub on a Friday lunchtime to nights out with the other graduates.

13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Good range of accomodation within travelling distance of the office, from student digs and flats to nicer accomodation. Nearby supermarkets and Manchester within a ten minute train journey meant average living/socialising costs.

14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

With Manchester only ten minutes away there's pretty much everything you could want close-by.

15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Plenty of opportunities to go to see sport/events/places with the company's social club.

Highlight was probably the go-karting trip organised by one of the graduates with about 40 people from the office getting involved.

In addition to these questions, is there any extra information you would like to leave about your experiences on your work placement that other students may be interested in?

Support from colleagues really allowed me to make the most of my placement and learn more than I would have done from a degree alone.

Review 5/6 for Thales

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