Insight Scheme Review

It was a great learning experience - I learned so much about the oil and gas industry and international careers. It was really fun meeting the other ladies from all over Europe and Africa. Hopefully I will keep in touch with some of them in the future. All in all I had a great time.

A lot of attention was placed on us for the 2.5 days as the whole agenda was focused around teaching us about the lifecycle of an oil and gas well. Our questions were also heard by some very senior female management which was a great opportunity to learn about what it takes to succeed at that level in your career.

We had to work on several case studies and activities and each one was well supported. It was great meeting the knowledgeable trainers over in Paris European Learning Centre (ELC). We had the recruiters there the whole time and experienced staff to help us through the exercises. One of the case studies creating a field development plan was a little challenging but we got through it in the end.

The course gave me a good perspective of the industry which will help as I go forward with my degree. Previously I had not considered going into oil and gas but I had not idea about how big and complex the industry was. It has some great engineering challenges that I like, so has definitely given me some food for thought for the future.

The course was very well structured with a clear agenda and many organised activities. We had accommodation, transport and meals all provided for us so no complaints there! If anything there was a little too much crammed in over the 2 days as it was quite tiring, but still really fun.

It was a fun couple of days and it was great to meet the other ladies from all over Europe and Africa. It was a good mixture of fun activities and serious learning exercises. We were all quite excited meeting at the train station in Euston before getting the Eurostar to Paris.

I loved the international nature of the Schlumberger careers. It seems that some of the graduates had worked all over the world. There are several different roles within the company, where you can work either at the wellsite as a “field engineer” or in a technology centre/office as a design engineer.

We met so many Schlumberger employees which gave us a real insight into the company’s culture. It seems to be fairly young and dynamic. I loved the international nature of their careers and the way they can change from one job profile to another. The more experienced staff seemed to have worked in many countries in their career.

The content was really valuable as before I didn’t have much idea about the oil and gas industry. It showed me about the whole lifecycle of an oil well and how a service company fits into the picture. I also learned about what an engineer does in a professional sense.

All of the expensed for the train tickets, meals and accommodation were covered for us and pre paid. I think some of the girls who came from beyond London had to expense some additional travel but as far as I am aware it was all covered. While we were not paid, we didn’t have to buy or pay for anything during the 2 days.

We had dinner in a restaurant near to a Chateaux in Fountain Bleu on the second night which was really fun. The food was typically French but very nice. We also had a chance to walk around the grounds of the castle and see a little bit of the town.

We didn’t get much exposure to this side of Schlumberger.

I would definitely recommend this course to a friend as it teaches you so much about the oil and gas industry and what it’s like being a professional engineer. The international aspect of the job seems really exciting and something I hadn’t considered before. Thanks Schlumberger for a really enjoyable 2 days.