Intern Review

The job itself is very enjoyable. It was not what I was expecting but I get to work in real-life products. I have a high degree of autonomy in the project - there are a list of broad features but I get to decide how to implement them and how to organize the project.

I felt included from the very start. The atmosphere is informal and I feel very comfortable talking to people. I am taken seriously, which is more than many other internships.

My managers are excellent. They are always available when I have questions or need some direction but otherwise they let me do my job and don't interfere. When I need time to learn a new technology I'm not familiar with, they are patient and let me take my time. A huge advantage is that they are experts, so they understand the technical aspects of my project, unlike other jobs where managers have no idea what you're doing.

I work at my own pace so I kept myself busy. I only felt I didn't know what to do next one or two times. The overall project is definitely feasible, and there is on-line training that you can take if you want a break.

A lot - I am the only active developer for the product, and I get to decide and implement the specific meaning of features. At the beginning, I got an outline of what they wanted, with some requirements (in terms of features and technologies that they use) and the rest was up to me. I get comments, suggestions and reviews every so often to make sure I'm on the right track,

I got a large number of new skills during my internship. From libraries, frameworks and tools, to soft skills (working in an office environment, managing my time, organizing the project, breaking down tasks, etc). All the things I've learned are useful throughout the industry and in academia.

Very relaxed and informal but also seriously geared towards work - there's very little downtime and everybody's working all the time and listening to music - so there's not much chance to chat and get to meet one another on a personal level. There is no discernible dress code which, for me at least, is a huge advantage.

Very well organized. When I arrived everything was set up to quickly get me up to speed. I was writing code for the project on my third day. There are regular meetings with my manager to catch up, make sure I'm doing well and to clear up and questions. HR organizes events for interns every week so there are plenty of opportunities to meet up.

Every intern has to take at least one technical and one non-technical training. The topics aren't great, but there is a wide variety of modules to take, so there's bound to be at least one that will be interesting. The technical training sessions are fairly simplistic for the most part. I took a course and it was an audio recording of a guy talking over a powerpoint for two and a half hours. At least there were quizzes to wake you up. The non-technical ones are even worse. Learn how to use email! Learn how to read terms and conditions! Learn how to use the phone! I took one on managing your time, and although supremely boring, it was at least fairly useful. Overall, it's nice that there's training available, even though it's not very good.

Very good. They are currently expanding and are hiring a lot of new people, and they make it very clear that they are looking to hire interns. I will not be applying for a job because I don't like living in Cambridge, but if it was in London or some other nice place I would definitely do so.

Very good - there are a lot of events and activities - from the company barbecue (actually more of a carnival with huge amounts of food and drink), to intern-only breakfasts, talks and lunches. The company paid for us to do a group activity, organized by interns.

Pretty standard. Food and rent are slightly cheaper than London, although bars and pubs are more expensive. Specialty food (Halal butchers, ethnic supermarkets, etc) is considerably worse and a lot more expensive than London, but that should not come as a surprise.

Horrible. The main street has 4 or 5 overpriced bars (£5+ a pint), one decent pub and a *very* dodgy nightclub (I was nearby waiting for people at around 9:30 and in the space of 20 minutes I saw three fights break out, one of which involved the police). Outside that, the whole town is dead after 9 or 10pm. There are nice pubs scattered around but they tend to close fairly early and the food is generally not great, although beer selection usually is. As far as I can tell, there is absolutely nothing to do on a weekend night if you don't drink, other than sitting on a park bench in the dark.

Yes - Cambridge has many historical places to visit, perfect for weekends. There are a handful of not-very-active groups within the company that organize occasional meetups (like football games, pub quizzes, board game tournaments, that sort of thing).