Software Summer Intern Review

The job was quite interesting when I got going; the first few weeks were slow but after I got into it and the work started piling up I was never bored.

I found that most people were very friendly, but I feel that my lack of ability in the job lead to people becoming frustrated with me.

I always felt that I could ask for help and support, but there was nothing like a weekly meeting or a mid-placement review like I know that the other summer interns at BAE got.

The first couple of weeks were very slow, but after that I always had something to do.

I was creating and improving real, existing programs for the company, but always while heavily supervised and never really anything major.

Coming from the background of a maths degree, I learnt a vast amount and, should I decide to go into software as a career, these 12 weeks will provide far more useful skills than my entire degree.

It was a very friendly and lively place to work; the office is very open plan and managers have no issues with employees having casual chats. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. I didn't really feel a part of it all but that is much more a reflection on how I am as a person rather than on the atmosphere; a talkative person will have no problems here at all,

The site I was at had never had interns before and my manager didn't receive the "what to do with your intern" (not actual title obviously) pack until the 9th week of the internship, so the entire thing felt very haphazard. There was no real plan for my time there, I just worked on whatever came up, which was very little for the first couple of weeks. The HR department and getting the right security clearance were both also nightmares.

While very little formal training was given (just a few online courses on data protection etc), I learnt a vast number of new skills and it kind of feels like I was paid quite well to make myself much more employable.

I didn't want to work in the defence industry before this placement for moral reasons - I took it because it was all I could get - and this hasn't changed.

There were four other interns and we all got on very well; we would go out to dinner, play pool, we had a barbecue, all sorts. There was also a site skittles league, which was more fun than it sounds and a good chance to socialise with people from all around the office. However, the office was based in Yeovil, which is an incredibly boring place to live.

I rented a small room near the town centre for £275 per month (which ended up being basically the whole house when my housemates moved out) which was very cheap. Eating at work was very cheap as the canteen was subsidised; £2.50 for a good-sized cooked meal, or £1.90-£2.20 for a big sandwich. Eating out cost a pretty standard amount, and I didn't go out to drink much because Yeovil is such a dull place, so overall I managed to save about £1500 in 3 months.

Abysmal. There were 2 clubs, both of which were apparently terrible on all but a Saturday night, when there were only bad. I never went; I went home most weekends because I was moving abroad for the year soon and wanted to see family and friends, but even the young people who worked there almost never went out.

There was a Skittles league, 5-a-side football and a couple of other sporting activities, but not loads.