Food Technology Intern Review

I was given a number of various opportunities and enjoyed every one. There were plenty of chances to catch up with the other interns and get an insight on what each of their roles involves and how they are getting on in their individual proects. There is also fun things to do and see in the areas surrounding the office. I particularly enoyed getting the opprtunity to travel to different suppplirers to see how they work.

Each of my colleagues were very helpful in answering any of my questions. I was certainly treated as an equal in the office and my role was valued. In terms of my project, a number of people came to see my presentationstating what I had learnt and how my findings can benefit the business. I very rarely felt as if I was unappreciated by my colleagues.

My manager was very good at ensuring I had an answer to all my questions. Often I was encouraged to find things out for myself within my project, however I certainly saw this as a positive as opposed to a negative. I was certainly pushed in the right direction with how to approach the internship and ways in which I should progress with my career within the industry.

Most of the time I had enough to be getting on with, regarding my project and other weekly day-to-day or weekly jobs. However if I ever thought my day might be quiet I ensured to fill my time with other jobs that differed completely t what I had already been working on. Thi shelped me to gain as much experience as I could here. My colleagues were very good at providing as much work as I wanted to take on.

Within my first 2 weeks I was already travelling and organising trips to see suppliers and manufacturers on my own. I was surprised by the amount of respnsibility I had, considering the failry low level of experience I already had. This was a great way to learn. My project had a chance to impact on how M&S and our suppliers worked, maing my responsibility feel far greater.

I had the chance to apply what I had learnt in myfirst year at university in my everyday work during my internship, for example microbiolgical hazards and food physics (rheology and texture). My internship provided me with knwledge that will help me in the rest of my degree, as well as my placement year and my career following University. Finally this Internship was an excellent networking opportunity, meeting a number of suppliers, colleagues and other interns/ BPP's/ Graduates.

The atmosphere was fast-paced and failry busy, but in a positive way. Each of the employees are enthusiastic about their job and this can be seen from the way in which they work. Depending on the current deadlines and season the atmosphere changes, however it is nice to have this variation. No matter what, people always seem happy to help and relatively calm.

Once I had been given the offer and accepted the job, I was sent a specification on my project from my manager, in order to allow me to look into the topic a little more and make my first day less daunting. Unfortuanltey the application process happened slightly late meaning I had my interview during my exam period, however as soon as I arrived on my first day there had obviously been a large amount of preparation for my internship.

The company invested a huge amount in me. I was allowed to take up every opportunity that came my way, this including organsing trips to suppliers and manufacturers, ordering in samples from suppliers and attending various training days within the business, including 'Munch and Learn' sessions and 'Project Management' training days.

I love the way the busniess works and the values that they follow. Therefore I see future employment as extremely appealing. I see the food department particulary exciting and am keen to be a part of products that are coming out in the near future. I appreciate the quality of the products made by M&S and have see through this placement, how much pride the employees have in this company, making it cuch an attractive company to work for.

There were a number of days where the interns and BPP's/ Graduate's had a chance to catch up and find out more about what each other were doing. I found that we all gt on very well and I enjoyed meeting with them when we did. Occasionaly we would organise out-of-hours drinks or meet-ups after work and it was nice to get to know them all a bit more. Finally it was beneficial to speak to people that were in a similar position to me.

Socialising was fairly expensive, however this is to be expected working in London. I would like to mention that there are certainly cheaper ways availale to socialise, as the ffice is located in a nice area with seating, various events and a large outdoor television displaying popular seasonal TV such as the Wimbledon Tennis and the Olympic Games. If the weather is god it is reasonably cheap to meet up with friends and colleagues. I did not choose to live nearer to the office as I was close enough to commute on the train, but I found that this turned out to be an extremely expensive mode of travel.

I commuted to work so didn't see much of a nightlife, through not wanting to travel late at night or missing the last train home. However I believe the potential for nightlife is good as I saw a number of cocktail bars, pubs and many restaraunts on my travels to and from the office.

I was not aware of any activities that had been organised outside of work, however I am aware that I was only here for 8 weeks. The people I wrked around al seemed to be very friendly with each other so I would not have been at all surprised if activities do go on throughout the year. If there were opportunities I would certainly have liked to take part in these.