Technical Author Intern Review

by Redgate

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

Rating

4.2/5
  • The Role
    4.6
  • The Company
    4.4
  • The Culture
    3.4

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I learnt a lot over the seven weeks I was there, and had a great time doing so. It was definitely challenging, but in all the right ways.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • I felt I could contribute more to the team and project I was on as time went by. It took a while to feel confident about contributing.

    4/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • I was given plenty of feedback on my work, both scheduled and as I asked for it. The regular 1-to-1s were always a little intimidating! My line manager did a very good job of giving me the training I needed.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • I was usually quite busy, but enjoyed what I was doing. The fact that regular tea/coffee breaks were acceptable definitely helped!

    5/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • I was working on the same tasks as a permanent technical author, so in that sense I had similar responsibilities to them. Towards the end, I grew more confident in setting tasks for myself.

    4/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • It confirmed that technical authoring is a career path I'd like to go down, and I picked up the basic skills. Internships in technical authorship in the UK are rare, so this was a great way to get some experience.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • Really friendly and welcoming, both within my team and within Red Gate as a whole. The company culture is quite informal and relaxed.

    5/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • It was really well organised; I was the first technical author intern, and I sent a speculative email (as Red Gate at that point hadn't advertised a vacancy), but Red Gate handled it really well.

    5/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • I was given all the help I needed, and interns at Red Gate follow the same system of performance review as permanent employees. I was the first user to test some of the training tasks Red Gate have developed for new technical authors.

    5/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Flexi Time

    Sports and Social Club

    Company Parties/Events

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • I'd love to work there again, if the opportunity came up.

    5/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • I didn't get to know many of the other interns very well; I worked on the same team as one other intern (but in different roles) and got to know the intern who started in the same week as I did. Red Gate gave us funds for an intern social evening, which was the only time I really spent with some of the other interns.

    3/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • Accommodation can be expensive, and not necessarily easy to find, especially if you don't have connections. I used a bike, and enjoyed the (excellent) free breakfast and lunch that Red Gate offered, which cut down on travel and food costs. Pubs are fairly expensive.

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • There are plenty of very good pubs around. Cambridge is not, however, the place to come if you want clubs.

    4/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • Red Gate offers a lot of clubs (e.g. frisbee, climbing, squash, languages, board games etc.) and also runs social events, so there's plenty to get involved with within Red Gate. Finding things to do outside Red Gate can take a bit more effort.

    5/5

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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

East of England

October 2014


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