Industrial Placement Student - Biological Sciences Review

Getting a placement at GSK is the best thing I've ever done - the placement itself was a hugely enjoyable experience and I feel it was a welcome 'break' from university. It gave a real insight into what life is like in a working environment, and gave me so many opportunities to learn valuable skills that will help with my final year of university, as well as with whatever I decide to do afterwards.

I felt extremely valued by most of my colleagues. I was given many opportunities to give my input during meetings and discussions, and when talking with my supervisor about the direction of my project I felt as though my opinions were mostly taken on board. There were times when I did feel less valued by members of more senior staff, and sometimes got the impression that they did not respect the way I worked - but on the whole this was not an issue.

My immediate supervisor supported me throughout all my training and throughout the whole year. He was always there to ask questions to and get advice from, but also he often put me outside my comfort zone with the work I was doing, allowing me to gain experience and learn to deal with new situations. He gave me a lot of guidance with my project, but also allowed me to make decisions and take the lead as I grew more comfortable with the work.

Like in any job, there were periods with less work and periods with more work. The balance changed a little throughout the year, with there being not quite enough to do at the start of the year, and then quite a lot to do towards June-July time as deadlines approached.On the whole I would say it was a good balance - there was enough work to fill the day, but also enough spare time to have a proper lunch and go for coffee.

I was given a lot of responsibility right from the start. I carried out almost all of the work for my project, with my supervisor giving input to help me with direction. I was also given responsibility in helping out with routine work as my project drew to a close.

The skills I gained this year will be invaluable in the future. I gained many transferable skills, such as presentation skills, communication, teamwork, time management etc. as well as learning many scientific techniques that I will be able to carry over to my final year of university.

My office was different to most of the offices at GSK Stevenage - mostly they use a hot-desking system, which involves large open plan offices with no permanent desks. I was in a small office with just 2 other people, and my desk was permanent. There are definite pros and cons to both of these situations - I liked getting to leave my things at the office, and the fact that there were only 3 of us made it easier to focus on work. The downsides came when either of my colleagues was away - the office could feel quite isolated! Generally the atmosphere was very friendly - we went for coffee almost every day with our other colleagues in the office across the corridor - and I was lucky in that my supervisor was in the office with me, so any questions I had could be asked directly.

Generally very well set up. All the administrative things were sorted for us and at the start there were lots of training courses to complete which allow you to settle in. They introduced some practical training courses this year which were extremely useful. The only negative was that at some points at the start of the year I felt slightly directionless - I wasn't sure what I should be doing. This wore off quickly when I began my project.

A lot of the general training we had was 'elearning' - a lot of computer courses. Other than that, the training we received varied depending on your supervisor - with me, my supervisor gave me a work-request to handle that was similar to one that he was doing, so we did them alongside each other. This way I learned a lot of the techniques I would need later on in a hands-on way. Throughout the year there were also opportunities to visit other sites, and take part in development days/courses to learn new things.

I would love to get a job with GSK in the future. They run graduate schemes (the future leaders programmes) which are promoted throughout the year, and if you are an IP you are able to get a 'fast track' based on your supervisor's recommendation, which allows you to miss certain parts of the application process. Direct entry into a job at GSK post-graduation is also possible. For any job prospect at GSK, the competition is really high and I got the impression over the year that PhDs are necessary to get a good job here.

Definitely - the IP students had lots of opportunities at the start of the year to get to know each other, and there were several events organised by IP Unite (the IP society) throughout the year that were worth going along to. House parties were most popular considering the less-than-average night life. The social scene with colleagues varied depending on the team you were in, my team generally arranged some form of social event every couple of months, and we met up for coffee almost every day - although other teams didn't meet up at all.

Housing prices varied a lot, but the general consensus is that it's cheaper than London, and more expensive than most other places. It was definitely possible to get a decent room in a house for £300-£350/month, but a lot of people were paying closer to £400-£450/month and some even up to £500/month. Other than rent, living costs were pretty similar to anywhere - there are lots of supermarkets to cover all wallets, from Waitrose to Aldi. It's not a student-area so there were less student perks but, luckily, GSK pay good wages so it was always possible to live comfortably.

The nightlife in Stevenage is not great. They have a leisure park with a bar/club, next to a load of restaurants, mini-golf, bowling, a cinema and a trampoline park, but it wasn't the best club in the world. Old town had a fair few pubs, and a couple of smaller bars/clubs, but realistically there isn't much of a club-scene. Luckily London is just half an hour away by train, and that has all the nightlife you need.

I can't really think of many activities GSK runs outside of work - although it is possible that I just didn't see them advertised/didn't get involved. There were social activities within work such as yoga/pilates, volleyball, boxercise etc, although I only heard about these from an IP in another department. I was involved in a cake-Tuesdays rota, which involved a group getting together and sharing homemade cakes/snacks on Tuesday mornings, which was a nice way to get involved with other members of the department.