Summer Student Review

I really enjoyed my placement due to the level of work I received. I was member of a team and thus given real work instead of work just to keep mem busy. I felt that I was contributing just as much as everyone on my team was what made the experience so good.

I felt that my contributions and opinion mattered and thus felt that my colleges valued me. They made significant effort to teach me, and give me guidance whenever I asked. As well as checking all my work and putting me in positions to succeed. Some of my work they have even taken to use on other projects due to the high level of quality.

While my line manager was not present and on leave during my placement I was given a range of support from other members and never felt that I was without guidance. I always felt confident that if I asked for help everyone around me would assist to the best of their ability and give me there time.

I was given a good amount of work, and could always ask for more if I ever ran out. The team was very understanding that there was nothing worse than sitting around and having nothing to do so they tried to keep me busy whenever they could on relevant work. Some days I would have to work overtime, however it always balanced out on the slightly slower days.

I was given lots of responsibility which was nice. Like any piece of work in an engineering office it was always checked, but it was checked to the same level as everyone else. I was also tasked with being a mentor to another intern and assisting them during their time with Atkins.

After my placement with Atkins I feel extremely confident in structural engineering and how a structural engineering office operates. I felt that I learned a lot of practical skills during my placement that can be applied at university or other jobs. For example the amount of engineering programs I can now use has skyrocketed.

The office always had a very relaxed, friendly and professional environment to it. They were extremely welcoming when I first joined and have never had an issue of finding someone to have lunch with. There are lots of socials after work which gives you a chance to meet other people from difference departments and offices.

The placement was extremely well organised. I received my offer less than 24 hours after the interview and was given constant support if I had any questions leading up to the placement. I was even given the contact details of former and current students and graduates within the office if I had any practical or social questions.

Yes they invested in me as I received a graduate job offer by the end of the placement. Atkins also hosts weekly carrier professional development (CPD) sessions in order to help with your ICE chartership. They also took me on site visits in order to help develop my understanding of engineering as a whole and what makes a good design.

I would say my future employment prospects with Atkins are every good, I have already received a graduate job offer and Atkins has an extremely good reputation. Graduates have the opportunity to work all over the world which is something that defiantly interests me. The benefits Atkins provides are also very good which is an added bonus.

Yeah all the graduates and placement students have lunch together and organise post work events often. We often go out for lunch once or twice a month as well. There is also a graduate hub for events UK wide such as ski and surfing trips as well as generic holidays around the UK.

In Epsom the costs are a little less then London but you are still essentially paying London prices for everything. Obviously the rent is not as bad as living in central London but it’s still quite high compared to the rest of the country. The office is quite easy to get to so transportation costs are not to bad.

Not great, Epsom is a small town but Clapham is not to far away.

Yes there are loads of socials and its quite easy to join them such as rock climbing, yoga, and mountain biking to name a few