Technology Intern Review

I really enjoyed working at Tesco, everyone was really friendly and the early careers team were always on hand to answer any issues. The office atmosphere is great and really helps you feel relaxed when adjusting to your role.

I joined a newly formed team and as such was able to gel really well with everyone as we were still working out how to operate as effectively as we could. A few contractors joined my team as the internship progressed and they were also very friendly.

I had weekly 1-1's set up with my departmental buddy (a 1st year grad) and my line manager as well as the head of my team. Everyone was really helpful in making sure I adapted to the role as quickly as possible. Even when my project got off to a slow start, there was no giving up in making sure I was able to get it back on track as quickly as possible.

We worked using Agile and via Kanban so with daily stand ups it meant there was never 'nothing' to do. The project was a really good project in that there was no shortage of things I could be getting on with as you are able to pull from the 'backlog'.

Tesco was really good in that I was free to choose how I went about completing my project and what I wanted to implement. I consulted a lot with my line manager once I started using new technologies but there was only ever guidance, never anything autocratic or forced.

Through this internship I was able to really work on my skills as a technical worker but also learnt a lot about working as part of the software development process. Technically I was able to experience building a multi-threaded java application that used SQL commands to access a database using session management.

The atmosphere was really relaxed in the office, there was no expectation to work past normal working hours and as long as the work was getting done and you were putting the time in no one would question you if you needed to leave early on arrive late. I worked in the Welwyn office where the average age is a lot higher than say in the London office. There was a beer fridge that was always stocked near the end of the week, free tea and coffee and soda.

Well organized, with experiences to go in store and various areas and various intern events set up. I was shown the team structure I was in on my first day in the office. Across the internship there was an agreed 'curriculum' of what they think we should have been able to learn over the internship.

The internship had loads of chances to develop personal skills via masterclasses. We were given opportunities to take part in lots of things and were allowed on trips out to various parts of the business. It felt like everyone respected that we were interns and would make sure they would help us however possible.

Over the internship you will have weekly meetings with your manager. This means that if you have any problems you should be able to air them with said manager. If you are under performing or things arent going well then this is the opportunity to assess the project. The idea being you are always getting feedback. My manager 1-1's were amazingly productive for the project.

A lot of the interns lived at home which mean weekend events were really hard to organize with no one wanting to commit to travelling far. I lived in Hatfield which was dead for any social activity, although london was only a 30min train away.

£500 a month rent and about £3.50 pints in hatfield/welwyn. Not too bad really.

Hatfield and Welwyn are ghost towns. London is really good though but always have to get the 1:30 train back to Hatfield.

There were opportunities to play football atleast twice a week, the early careers team would sort out a pay day event every month. For Tesco though I think in the next few years there is definitely opportunity for more established events. There were various departmental drinks organised across the internship however turnout was often low.