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 really enjoyed my placement, the projects that I took part in where really interesting and the work is very fulfilling because of the direct impact it has on the UK's defense, ultimately saving lives. Outside of work, colleagues and other placement students/graduates also organised plenty of social events. With hindsight I would definitely choose a work placement at DSTL again.
I was given a key role in my main project and therefore felt very valued as I was involved in the entire process, apart from the less interesting paperwork side - another plus! I was never bored and was given additional work when needed. My colleagues ensured I felt comfortable around everybody and never neglected any students from social events outside of work.
I was given excellent feedback and guidance throughout my placement. My line manager was supportive and checked that I was doing okay on a weekly basis. As well as this my line manager encouraged and helped to organize additional opportunities for me within the organisation. During the year, any decision which affected me always considered (and went in favor of) my best interests.
Due to the research-based nature of the job, there was always work to be done, but deadlines were fairly rare and I never struggled with my workload nor lacked anything to do. If my work did begin to dry up I could simply request more from my supervisor to keep myself engaged.
I was a key member of my team and completed a large proportion of the work of the project I was working on. I would frequently make minor decisions independently while being involved, and providing evidence-based reasoning, for important choices. In addition I was given an admin role on a project to give me experience of having total responsibility and managing people (all of whom were obviously more senior than me!)
From the placement I have learnt a number of incredibly useful skills. I have learnt MatLab (a programming language) which I have developed throughout the year and will no doubt be a useful skill at university and beyond. I've also picked up soft skills which were previously not my strong point. My report-writing and presentations have been greatly improved, as has my ability to explain complex ideas in a clear and concise way.
The Company
I worked in a large open plan office which around 10 colleagues. The atmosphere was very well balanced with everyone working well and the occasional conversation between co-workers. It was friendly and relaxed (helped by the informal dress code) and I was always comfortable to ask for assistance if I encountered a difficult problem.
DSTL has been taking placement students for some years now so everyone working there knows exactly what to do with new students. This means the time it takes to set-up IT and the like is greatly reduced as a large part of that is already set-up and so you can get into your work placement much more easily. All successful graduates and students are put in contact with each other to sort out housing, making the process of finding a house much easier.
The company invested a fair amount in my development. Often providing funding for me to attend external sites and events which would help with my training and understanding of the company. Additionally, it was ensured I had attended a number of essential training sessions about working on the site so that I remained safe.
Flexi Time
Sports and Social Club
Subsidised/Company Gym
International Travel
I really enjoyed the placement and could certainly see myself working for DSTL in the future, and they offer a very generous sponsorship scheme, however opportunities for my degree were not available within my own team which meant trying to find other teams within the company which might be interested.
The Culture
There are a huge number of graduates and placement students working at DSTL which means that you are very likely to find at least one person who shares your interests. Personally I got involved with football as well as cycling. In terms of going out clubbing some may require some encouragement (though obviously this depends on the placement student intake at the time) but everyone is always more than happy to go to the pub. House parties also occur from time to time.
My placement required me to live in greater London. This meant very high housing and alcohol costs. However I never stopped myself going out because of a lack of money. renting is pretty fixed (apart from avoiding letting agents who charge silly amounts of money for drafting contracts/cleaning/etc.) but cheap nights out are possible with Wetherspoons, pre-drinks and house parties. Public transport is brilliant and for low costs a Megabus from London is excellent (though always delayed). Otherwise costs are pretty similar to the rest of the south.
On the edge of London it was fairly poor unless you were willing to commit to a night out. There were several good pubs/wine bars and spoons around locally. If you wanted to go clubbing you would need to use public transport with a night bus which took a couple of hours (so if you left the club at 4am you'd get home around 6am) or the first train home (6:30am on a saturday). Some of the clubs closer to us were awful.
There were many clubs which you can get involved with at work. Personally I played football with other colleagues.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
London
July 2016