data analyst Review

The working experience as a whole has been great. The work started relatively slow, however was necessary to ensure I could get up to speed with how the company works. Once I was settled, I was busy for the majority of the summer, being tasked with various projects which were both necessary and interesting. The social side was also fantastic, living with 7 other interns meant there was also something going on in the evenings and weekends.

Everyone at the company is really friendly, and happy to help out and have a chat. I felt the majority of the work i did was genuinely valued by my colleagues, apart from one project where I couldn't actually do very much due to my lack of knowledge, and hence didn't feel particularly valued for that project.

Guidance was provided every step of the way, and not just by my manager; the company provide a 'buddy' system which means every intern is allocated someone to ask even the basic questions to.

Work started relatively slow, however, for approximately 8 out of the 10 weeks, I had enough work to fill the day, and sometimes I decided to work extra hours (which i could take off another time) in order to complete projects.

As a summer intern, there is only so much responsibility that one can expect. I was never under pressure to provide exceptional work, however was given the right amount of responsibility for many projects. I was often asked to provide work which can subsequently assist work which required a greater responsibility. For some projects, however, I feel I had the right skills to be given more responsibility, but unfortunately, I was not.

I was provided with the chance to significantly improve my IT skills, including improving CAD and excel expertise. Having said this, large parts of work, as interesting as they were, were irrelevant to my degree, and therefore there wasn't as many skills developed as I would have expected.

The whole office has a very relaxed feel. the company works using flexi hours, therefore, as long as you do the right amount of hours per week, you can work the times you want (within reasons). this meant Fridays were regularly quiet and so the atmosphere was quiet and not quite so sociable.

I think specific tasks could have been assigned to me before I arrived. I was given lots of small projects to do, which come and go quickly, and hence had periods near the beginning with no work to do. Having said that, once I looked for work elsewhere, I had plenty to do. The company could have also provided more integration between Interns. I got to know the interns I lived with really well, however, I didn't get the chance to even meet a fair few others.

The company invested in specific tools for me to complete various tasks, and helped me whenever I needed it. There was a CAD software, however, where I had to teach myself, and training would have significantly helped.

Would definitely put the company near the top of my list of grad schemes to apply for. The only reasons to which I would not accept a job here would be due to personal geographical reasons rather than anything to do with the job itself. The flexi time and relaxation of work seems great as a bridge between university and being in a full time job.

The social aspect of the placement was a personal highlight. The company provided the means for us to contact with other placement students, and I have genuinely made some friends for life. The company provide a system for new starters which organises events, such as a weekly pub quiz etc, which enables the chance to meet interns and grads

Living in portsmouth was relatively expensive, however, not quite london prices, I would advise renting a student house over the summer, as this was the cheapest option.

Nightlife was good in Portsmouth, we didn't venture out anywhere else, however, we went out most weekends and there are a few good clubs in the area.

Yeah there were various sports clubs etc. I played football weekly with work, and it was a great way to meet new people.