This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
I found my placement year quite enjoyable, as I met a ton of lovely and interesting people, keen to get involved and share their knowledge and experience with others. I enjoyed my tasks and I felt valued as an employee. However, I found that I had to fight with upper management just to get things done, as the Civil Service system has a ton of superfluous people that exist just to make your work take longer.
I definitely felt like my colleagues valued me as a individual and that all members of staff treated each other with respect. Given the nature of the work, at times it is difficult to meet people from outside your teams, but as you work with more and more people throughout the organisation, your network of people you can meet and learn from grows exponentially.
The management at Dstl is very capable but it doesn't punish failure, and as such, there are sometimes bad managers. However, there is always support and guidance available in many places at Dstl, meaning that if your manager is lackluster, you can still develop and advance.
Some days involved a lot of work happening at once, with hectic days and tons to do. However, due to the nature of research-based work, a significant portion of working days were not very busy. This does allow for staff to develop in other ways, and collaborate with others on tasks and ideas that are not entirely project-based. I was able to ask my manager for more work when I was not busy, and while it arrived, it was often after several weeks (and usually when other work was piling up too!) which definitely emphasised this issue
As much as I asked for. I was able to be given more from my line manager which allowed me to be involved in many different projects at the same time. Each opportunity allowed me to be in control of my activities and role within the project - I could be very responsible for a task as a vital role, or hands-off and merely consulting. Dstl were especially keen for people who are able to step up and manage people well.
Given the classified nature of the job, I won't go into too much detail, but my University degree will be in Computer Science, and I believe that working at Dstl has greatly improved my skills and technical knowledge - in different ways than I originally expected! Happily, the skills developed are particularly applicable within other sectors of the Defence industry as well as more traditional vectors of Computer Science. My only downside would be that the training budget for placement students is rather low and Dstl were unwilling to spend too much on staff that they knew would only be with them for a year. Thankfully, I feel this is more than made up for by the opportunities available just learning on the job.
The Company
I had the pleasure of working in many different environments at Dstl - airy open-plan offices, packed with people that were always available to offer interesting advice and lend a hand; tight-knit laboratory environments with a cross-section of wacky individuals that have great experiences to share, and finally - a converted shipping container containing only a couple of people, but some of the nicest people I've ever met.
Dstl has been around for a while now, and its recruitment process is robust and mature. As such, my application and interview process went smoothly, performed with professionalism and aptitude. Typical corporate stuff is handled properly and swiftly although some of my placement colleagues had trouble sorting out payroll issues (and consequently took several months to sort out) so your mileage may vary.
As mentioned previously, Dstl has a training budget per person but it seemed they are not particularly willing to put too much money into its placement students. Instead, it focuses on in-house training courses and open-source training tools such as Coursera. Dstl is strong with regards to personal development however - line managers have specific meetings regarding the development of every member of staff, but as a significant portion of this is geared towards career development, it is difficult to utilise these meetings to the fullest as an Industrial Placement student planning on returning to University after the year is done. However, there are lots of opportunities for personal development and career and training advancements if you make it a priority.
Flexi Time
Sports and Social Club
Subsidised/Company Gym
National Travel
Company Parties/Events
Working from home
Healthcare/Dental
I would definitely consider returning to work at Dstl. The projects and learning opportunities are very interesting and appealing (and in some cases, unique) but I am always open to consider other ventures.
The Culture
The social aspects of Dstl are varied depending on the people you wish to spend your time with and the location you choose to settle in to. Ultimately, there is something for everyone and it is what you make of it. There are many groups and clubs to get involved with if that is what you want to do. The nearest places to socialise are Salisbury and Southampton. Salisbury has a ton of great pubs and interesting places to visit, whereas Southampton is a bustling Student hub.
Salisbury is not too expensive and rent+general costs of living takes up about 2/3rds of my paycheck. Travelling to Southampton is another matter entirely for me.
Alright.
Yes, There are a myriad of sporting and social events going on throughout the year.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
South West
July 2016