Bioscience Sandwich Student Review

My placement has provided a thoroughly enjoyable and invaluable experience. A great work life balance was encouraged throughout the year- even during very busy periods. AstraZeneca provided a sociable and supportive work environment for placement students, with lots of extracurricular activities for example conferences, charity/team building and networking events. Open lines of communication exist within and between departments which provides great social environment for students and enables likeminded people to meet. I always felt able to speak to someone if I had a problem which made the experience relatively stress free.

Students were treated the same way as permanent members of staff. From the first day I was involved in team activities and invited along to both work and social events. My work and data was valued in the same way as that produced by other members of staff and the same level of professionalism was expected of me throughout my placement. I was made to feel like I was contributing valuable work to my department which is encouraging, particularly during the first few months.

Supervisors and management provided a lot of training and support throughout the initial months. This tapered as laboratory independence and overall confidence improved however support was always readily available if needed. The support provided often went above and beyond what was expected, for example supervisors and managers were happy to read and offer advice on university work and arrange practice presentations and interviews to help me prepare for upcoming interviews on several occasions. I always felt I had enough support when problems did arise and had a number of different people I could speak to about any issues I was facing.

The amount of work carried out per day varied greatly from day-to-day. During the first few months, prior to my research project starting my workload was relatively quiet with lots of time spent completing health and safety paperwork, laboratory tours, fire training etc. Once my research project had started workload increased significantly with a lot of time was spent in the laboratory generating data for my report write up. As I completed my year in industry as part of a Masters I was arguably busier than the average placement student however my workload always remained manageable as my supervisors were aware of my additional university commitments.

I was given full responsibility for my student led research project including contacting and communicating with the relevant internal colleagues as well as experts from external companies, designing experiments, performing experiments and analysis the data. I was also expected to perform routine assays to support my departments operations during my placement. In addition, I was trusted with analysing data produced by other scientists within my department to support other departments. I was expected to generate high quality data and present this at team meeting.

The laboratory and professional skills I have gained during my placement year will be invaluable to future academic work and ultimately when pursuing my chosen career. I have made many useful contacts through the networking opportunities offered during placement which will prove beneficial when seeking future employment. As I completed my year in industry as part of a Master’s degree I was applying for further education/employment during my placement. My supervisors, managers and the opportunity centre which advises staff on employment provided excellent advice and support during this process which contributed to my successful PhD applications and an offer for a permanent AstraZeneca position following the completion of my placement.

The office environment was a sociable one, with staff frequently going for lunch/coffee together or brining in cake to celebrate birthdays etc. During busier periods some members of staff would become more introverted however there was still always someone to speak to or ask questions if I was unsure of something. Being in the North West surrounded by people who were not relating to Cambridge with AstraZeneca, the office atmosphere could sometimes be influenced by relocation announcements however colleagues and management were mindful not to let this lower morale for those relocating.

The placement was very well organised, particularly in comparison to the level of organisation experienced by friends on placement within small start-up companies. A familiarisation day was arranged prior to starting placement which allowed me to visit the site, meet the team I would be working within and meet fellow students to arrange housing arrangements for during the placement.

Many opportunities for personal development were offered throughout the year. Attendance of conferences, networking events and AstraZeneca organised lectures were all actively encouraged. I was encouraged to investigate and actively seek out opportunities in areas of interest and participate in these where possible. Furthermore, I was offered careers advice and coaching on my interview technique and application writing despite applying for role outside of AstraZeneca.

Personally, future employment within AstraZenecea is a very attractive prospect and I have accepted an offer for permanent employment. Although other companies are arguably on par in terms of the science delivered, AstraZeneca encourages a great work-life balance and invests heavily in personal development which is particularly appealing to me. The management style at AstraZeneca is one which encourages good work rather than discipline mistakes which allows for a great learning environment which would be particularly beneficial for those beginning their careers.

As I was based within the North West there were fewer students which arguably led to reduced social scene. However, students would typically meet up at least once a week either for or drink or for a planned activity such as bowling, walking, climbing etc. We would also meet up regularly to celebrate birthdays, exam results etc together.

The cost of living in the North West is extremely affordable, particularly in comparison to that in Cambridge which is typically double for accommodation. Nice yet affordable houses close to site were easy to find however larger houses were lacking which meant students typically lived together in 3s or 2s. The cost of socialising was also relatively cheap in the area and trains into Manchester took approximately 20 minutes and ran frequently until late.

As there are no neighbouring universities, the nightlife in the area is typical of that in a small town with a few bars and a single nightclub. Manchester is a better area for socialising and trains run frequently so this was typically the location of choice or Alderley Edge which is a taxi ride away and has some nicer bars and restaurants.

Social events were frequently organised by the cultural vibrancy team such as sport events, cocktail making or trips to various attractions. These were open to all members of staff including students and participation was actively encouraged. In addition, colleagues often went out together to celebrate birthdays, Christmas, promotions etc or just to socialise.