Project Leader in COST Review

I was given plenty to do during my internship which I enjoyed. The work was challenging, but there was also plenty of help available to me so that I did not find it too daunting. Four projects meant that I could change what I was doing if one thing was becoming too much. Work was also broken up by meetings and training which was interesting and fun.

Colleagues made me feel like I was part of the team and not just another intern. I was treated with the same respect as anyone else would have been. Everyone was very friendly and helpful and I learnt a lot from my co-workers.

My manager was very supportive of the projects that I was doing and gave me any help possible. Weekly meeting with my manager meant that he was kept up to date at all times on how things were going, and I felt at ease to tell him any concerns or problems. Every intern is assigned a buddy that already works in the company but has been an intern there before. I thought this scheme was very good as it gave you someone to talk to away from your projects and team, but who could still help with general office advice. It also helped when it came to reviews as they had been through the process before so could give very good advice to put you at ease.

I had plenty to do throughout my days, even at the beginning when things were very new and daunting I still had enough work to get on with. As I mentioned in a previous question, work at your desk was regularly broken up by meetings and sometimes training sessions which gave you more to do throughout the day and broke the day up.

I was given the responsibility for my own projects and I felt that the work I was doing was valued, therefore I would say I was given a good level of responsibility. I did not feel alone nor that I had too much responsibility for such a short time.

When I return to fourth year at university, I think I will be much better at managing my time and projects as I have been trained on project management here and have had to manage my own projects from start to finish. I have also learnt how to prioritise, so that highly important things are done before things that are less important, which will be very helpful next year. The skills I have learnt about general working life and communication with colleagues will be very beneficial I believe when I finish university and go into a full time job.

The office atmosphere was very work orientated I would say. It was very quiet, especially considering that there was around 30 people in close proximity, however as the work people were doing was financed based I suppose the silence was necessary. However, it did make me feel slightly uneasy when talking to colleagues, I regularly whispered instead of talking properly when I was at my desk!

I think the internship was organised extremely well. We had three days of onboarding at the beginning of the internship which gave us the basic information required. The timetable of the internship was clearly outlined at the beginning and was stuck to during the ten weeks.

I attended a lot of meetings and training sessions where I learnt a lot. I do not think that all of these were necessary for me but people were happy for me to participate for my own personal development. Colleagues were happy to explain things to me so that I would understand, even when these things were not directly linked with my projects.

As I am writing the review I am halfway through my internship so it is hard to say either way how the employment prospects look. It seems like a very good company to work for and I am trying to make a good impression so that future employment could be a possibility. Even though I cannot say from personal experience, a lot of the interns who have done the same scheme as me in the past have been employed with the company so that is a positive sign.

Once again as I am only half way through I have only been on one night out with colleagues so far but it was very enjoyable and meant I got to meet a lot more people who work in the company than I would normally meet in the office (people from other departments for example). My relationships with the other interns on the same scheme is very good and lunch time is always an opportunity to see how we're all getting on.

The internship was in Newcastle which is where I go to university. Therefore I would have had to pay for accommodation for the summer anyway, as leases for student houses normally last 12 months, so this was not an extra cost for me. General living expenses in Newcastle are not too bad and for socialising I think it is one of the chepaest cities in England.

The nightlife in Newcastle is very good. It is really cheap, for example there are bars where you can buy a triple vodka and mixer for £2! Taxis are not too expensive either, especially if you book them in advance. There are plenty of bars and clubs open every night of the week, although during my internship I tended to stick to the weekends!

I did not encounter loads of opportunities, however we were there during summer which is when a lot of people are on holiday anyway. Plus as we were there for ten weeks only there was not much of a chance to join the sports and social clubs.