Test Engineering Intern Review

I found the placement very enjoyable, and would highly recommend it. There was a good variety of work throughout the year, including both a major project and shorter side projects. I was given lots of training opportunities throughout the year, including an opportunity to train the next intake of interns. Feeling like an integral member of the team greatly enhanced my experience during this placement.

During the entirety of the placement I worked in a number of teams and I always felt my contributions were highly valued by my colleagues. I was able to communicate effectively throughout, with no worries about asking questions where necessary, thus enhancing my ability to work well within the environment.

Throughout the placement I was in regular contact with my line manager, along with the people in charge of the smaller projects that I worked on. Monthly meetings were held where any concerns, on both ends, could be raised and discussed. This led to a very supportive relationship, ensuring no time wasted when issues arose.

The workload varied in line with the release cycle of the company. Closer to a major release the majority of daily tasks were associated with the release, with workload increasing right up to the release deadline. During the rest of the cycle workload was fairly constant, with a major project in the background and lots of smaller tasks alongside. There was always more work available if needed.

During my placement there was a major release of the software, and I was largely responsible for a key part of this release. I was also part of a team that was responsible for checking bug fixes and running test plans. My findings during these processes were taken as a definitive answer.

The time management skills I have developed during this placement will allow me to better plan my time for the remainder of my degree. This, partnered with my new understanding of kanban systems, splitting work up into manageable chunks, will allow me to break down major projects into small tasks. Working in an office environment has allowed me to develop my communication skills, which will benefit me greatly when working in group projects during the remainder of my degree.

The general atmosphere within the office was quite relaxed, and very open. All members of the team, both developers and testers, were easily approachable with any issues/questions I had, due to the lack of separation between team and management levels.

The work placement was very well organised throughout. One of the best examples of this is the 1 month hand over period with the previous interns, allowing the new interns to learn on the job, with someone who has been doing that role for the past year. This makes asking questions a lot less disruptive to the company as any questions I did have were directly pertinent to the previous interns' current work.

During the placement we had the opportunity to utilise online courses that would further our skills within the company, at no cost to ourselves. We were also put onto a DiSC (communication skills) training course with full time employees to aid our ability to communicate successfully with the different personality types within the office.

The variety of work available would definitely appeal to me upon graduation, however there has been no discussion with management about this being a reality.

Lunch times were often spent with all of the interns at the company together in the business park’s café. I didn’t live with the others so one of the other interns visited a couple of times on weekends. I also attended some events with one of the other interns on weekends/after work.

As I did not live in the area where I worked I cannot comment on the cost of living. Also as I did not live in the area I wasn’t able to do much socialising in the vicinity of the office, however there are pubs and restaurants in the local town. However I have heard from other interns that the local area is well priced.

As I did not live in the area where I worked I cannot comment on the Nightlife in the area.

I personally didn’t get involved in any activities outside of work, however I am aware of people taking part in sports events and going to restaurants as a group.