Summer Intern Review

I enjoyed most aspects of my internship: I learnt a lot of things about both computer networks and programming in C and Python during my internship, which is knowledge which I value highly. I also felt that the work I was doing was largely enjoyable and of worth – this gave me a sense of satisfaction in my work.

In general, Metaswitch has quite a collaborative working environment and employees regularly discuss with each other the best way to approach problems and ask each other for help on various issues. I was also involved in this collaborative environment and was able to talk to employees about issues I had and ask for guidance about any problems I encountered.

I was supported well by my manager. He had a plan in place for the project I was to do during my internship and thought carefully about which tasks and learning exercises would be suitable in preparation for that project. We also held regular meetings in which we discussed progress and checked my understanding of pieces of information, which made me feel secure in my knowledge.

Over my internship I consistently had work to do and rarely felt swamped or overwhelmed by that work. I had weekly meetings with my mentor in which we worked together to plan which tasks I would work on during that week. In this way my work load was well regulated and we were able to flexibly alter the plan as necessary.

I was given a fair amount of freedom and was able to plan for myself how to structure my week in order to complete all of the tasks assigned to me. As my internship progressed I was increasingly encouraged to work more autonomously and in this way was given more responsibility. I would imagine that there are very few, if any, internships in which you are given full autonomy.

I learnt a lot about computer networks and about the programming languages C and Python. The information I learnt about computer networks was interesting and within the field of networking would be very useful (although it is quite a niche field). The skills I developed in programming are much more widely applicable and as well as learning the languages I was also encouraged to think about how to make my programs as robust as possible, which is a valuable viewpoint.

People in the office in which I was placed were generally friendly but with a good work ethic. This was good because it meant that people were approachable when I needed help but at the same time it was generally quite quiet which allowed for good concentration on work. There were some events after work (pub trips) to encourage good office relationships.

On the first day I was one of six new intern starters and we were met by a member of HR who led an induction session in which we were given general information about the structure of our internship and the workings of the company. This was generally useful and answered questions not related to the work we were doing. I was then met by my manager who gave me an overview of the work I was to do. The internship was similarly well structured throughout

I felt that I was developing on a daily basis during my internship, but especially during the first two or three weeks where a lot of emphasis was put on my development. During this time, I was required to ramp up on various topics and then present my learnings to my mentor. This was good because it developed both my knowledge and my presenting skills in one go.

If you are ok with working in Enfield, which is not the most straightforward place to commute to if you want to live in London then I feel that this would be a very good place to work, with interesting and engaging work. There are lots of different teams in Metaswitch who deal with different areas of software and networking, so there is a lot of scope to find something you would like here.

The company has company houses in which many interns live whilst on their internships. I did not live in one of these houses as I already lived in London not too far from Enfield, but I gather that these facilitated a good social scene. The company held new starter drinks at local pubs for each of the interns, meaning that there was at least one pub session a week if you wanted to go.

About what you’d expect for outer London.

I don’t know much about the nightlife in Enfield, but there are some quite nice pubs. London has some very good nights and gigs, but you need to travel outside of Enfield for these.

The company held regular social activities for interns. This included new starter drinks and leaving drinks for each of the interns – meaning at least one encouraged pub visit per week if you want to go. There were also other social events organised: an evening at an escape room, a dinner at a local restaurant and the very social Vacathon.