Engineering Intern Review

I really enjoyed the whole work experience at Sophos. They made sure I was looked after and was having fun as much as possible. I was treated with respect and given responsibilities like the rest of the employees. I wasn't just an intern.

My colleagues didn't treat me any differently to the rest of the team. They knew I was an intern but gave me responsibilities and tasks that were as essential as any others. My work contributed to the team output that eventually went out to customers which made me feel really valued.

My company works with a paired programming philosophy so you've always got that support there of a more experienced software engineer who will help you to learn and produce quality work. The offer of formal training was always on offer if I felt that I needed it but I never did as the open plan office gave me access to all the help I needed in the form of my colleagues who were always willing to help anyone who asked for it.

I always had tasks to do that I could select from a job ticketing system. That way I could do the amount of work i felt comfortable with at the time. There was never too much pressure on increasing the workload or completing something within a certain time. If a task was taking longer than expected i was given help to be able to finish it quicker.

I was given as much responsibility as I wanted to have (within reason). I had a base level of what i had to contribute to the team but anything above that was mine for the taking if I wished. Due to the freedom of choice in the tasks I did I could choose to complete a hugely critical task which was integral to a project or just fix a broken test. I had the potential for as much responsibility as I felt I could handle.

My time-management, teamwork and general coding skills have all vastly improved during this placement and all of these skills will be invaluable during my final year of study where I will need to complete a code-heavy team project to a deadline. These skills will also help me become more suitable and acclimatized for the world of work in the technology sector.

The general atmosphere was relaxed with a warm friendly vibe. Nobody was too serious and everyone was always joking around, having fun while still doing their work. It was a very nice place to work.

The application and interview process was quick and relatively painless due to it's good organisation. The internship year itself didn't have a lot of structure. You worked with your team for the full time unless you requested a change. But this allowed me to feel more settled in than changing all the time. The organisation was good, I knew who my bosses were and who to go to for certain things and for answers to certain questions. I had the resources in place to make sure I never felt alone or out of my depth.

Aside from the experience of working as part of one of their development teams I had no formal training, but nor had I asked for any. Other interns who did ask for training in a specific area tended to receive it. I just never felt like it was necessary. I had all the learning materials i thought I'd ever need in the form of my team and the company wiki pages.

I would have to think for hardly a second before accepting a job offer from them if it weren't for the location of the company. I am too far away from my friends and family for it to be a simple decision although I am still very much considering it. They're a truly great company to work for.

Because my company took on 12 interns there was a great social scene between us all; in and out of work. But despite this we all still found friends among the regular employees of the company helped along by the various social events put on by the company.

Cost of living was quite high due to the specific location (Oxfordshire) and the price of a pint (a good indicator) was a lot higher than I was used to. However it wasn't so expensive as to cause a financial problem.

Nightlife was limited but existent in and around Oxford however that wasn't really something I looked for in a place to live. It was sufficient enough to have a good night out every once in a while with the other interns but would get old after more than a year.

There was a selection of events put on by work that took place outside of work such as a bonfire night event with fireworks food and drinks. Away from work, there was relatively limited opportunities that i could see that didn't include the leisure centre over the road from our place of work where lots of people went to play sports like football and badminton.