Internship Review at BP

The Role

Role Description

My role was working in the Drilling labs in the Exploration and Production Labs in Sunbury. My time was split evenly between R & D and tech service work. I had the opportunity to travel to Aberdeen to use another companies lab. I was trained to carry out many different types of test used in the industry to characterise shale and was trained in how to mix up drilling fluids. My role was well split between practical and desk work. However I am a mechanical engineer given a role that would suit a chemical engineer of geologist, it has been an interesting experience for a summer but this was not a role I would consider taking on as a graduate as it is not my specialty. So it is odd I have been given this role given BP has a strong emphasis on putting interns through to assesment centres from jobs in the area thay were given placements.

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

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

Good but not a role I would consider due to my degree sybject being completely different and also difficultto see a career progression.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Really nice team to work in and I met a lot of different characters over my placement.

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

★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 4/10

This could be variable, but this is due to my line manager being away a lot

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

First few weeks were slow slow after that I'd either have very very busy days or empty days due to the lab testr schedule.

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

I was given responsibilty in doign lad tests for clients and my line manager respected my technical analysis of my test results.

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

★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 2/10

None of the training I recieved assisted my studies but I did learn a lot of communication, personal and team skills about working in a job.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

Could be very quiet as people would often be in a lab with only 2-3 people in it and leave the office empty.

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

★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 3/10

Did feel very unorganised I did not recieved any information about the specific department I'd be wokring in and I recieved a phone call 2 week before I was due to arrive asking if I could come a week early as my line manager was due to be away on buisness.

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

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

The company did not ever have an issue with spending money to train and develop me, other constriants like time would be the only issues.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

• Flexi Time
• Subsidised Canteen
• Sports and Social Club
• Subsidised/Company Gym
• National Travel
• Company Parties/Events

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

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

Maybe. My role during my placement is not one I would like to pursue as it is irrelevant to my degree however I would consider working for BP.

Other Information

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Many interns lived together and there was a good social scene most fridays and saturdays. There was also a lot of intra-company sport to get involved with.

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

★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 2/10

It was expensive living just outside central london - for interns that had to pay for accomodation and travel this would be an expensive placement, don't expec tto earn much unless like me you could stay with people for free.

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

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

Sunbury has no nightlife. However trains and buses easily get you to somewhere with brilliant nightlife - an advantage of being near london.

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

All intern organised so I guess this depends on you. . .

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?

Please leave a comment on this question...

Review 114/114 for BP

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