Student Placement Review

I enjoyed being in an office environment which had a good environment and everyone in the team worked well together and during the internship I felt a part of the team. There was plenty of work for me to do over the eight weeks which meant I was busy which I enjoyed.

I worked with a small group of people within a large team and I felt like my work was valued. I got great feedback and advice once I had completed a task and it was easy to ask questions whenever I was stuck and needed guidance. I felt valued because I was given a variety of work and tasks to complete and I enjoyed the responsibility.

During the placement I did not have much contact with my line manager as they were busy with work or away (the internship was during the summer months which meant holiday season). However the colleagues I worked closely with gave me lots of support with my work and guidance for both the tasks and my future options.

On a daily basis I was busy. At the beginning of the placement there were gaps between tasks where there was not much to do so I did get bored. But as the weeks went on and I think I was trusted more, I was given more jobs and tasks to do. In particular Thursdays and Fridays were usually very busy before a deadline.

During the placement I felt as if I was given some responsibility which grew the longer I was there. As my knowledge of the company and the systems used within the company increased I was trusted more with altering and updating documents and drawings which made me feel valued. It also made me feel useful for the team which I like.

I was not given formal training for the placement, but my skills increased massively. Especially because I learnt to use AutoCAD which is an essential tool for civil engineering and my future. I had not had the chance previously to learn so I was very pleased that I had time to practice within a context and also I was able to ask many questions.

The atmosphere in the office was relaxed, the dress code business casual. There were natural periods of quite when many people where away or on holiday and on the other hand very busy before deadlines. I enjoyed the work and social discussion between everyone which made for a pleasant environment to work.

The internship was arrange very early on as I had applied 6 months beforehand. This was OK but required planning as to when to apply. When I arrived a laptop and username was already set up and the introduction briefing was helpful. Some of the health and safety short modules I had to complete did not initially work but it was fixed within a few days.

I did not have individual personal training or development but within the tasks and jobs for the different projects I did find that I learnt a lot and my knowledge grew. This development occurred within the context of different tasks. The company invested time in me because my supervisor was very helpful and spent time explaining and describing certain aspects within projects.

In my view future employment prospects are very appealing because BuroHappold have very good graduate schemes were they provide good supervision and guidance to progress your career. They also encourage and support you to get chartered which is my aim for the future. Because of this I will be applying for a graduate program within the company for next year.

My placement was during the summer so there was lots of activities and social events going on. There was a meet and great for all summer placements which was a good way to meet and get to know everybody. For the whole office there were a few BBQ's on the terrace in London which was fun. Also there are sport events after work which I heard were good fun.

In London, living and socialising is expensive, however the internship salary was increased slightly for the London rate which was useful.

The area where the office was located was great and central, with lots of restaurants and bars. Afterwork the streets were busy with people enjoying the summer.

Yes.