Research & Development - Products Research Review

At the beginning of my internship I did not really enjoy it, but during the second half of the placement I really enjoyed it and was sad to finish. As there were 20 interns all together I made some really good friends and we had a great time together.

I got on very well with my supervisor and he treated me like a fellow employee rather than a student. I found that people would always make time for me and I never felt threatened by speaking to people much higher up than myself. Everyone was very friendly.

The support from my supervisor and management was good. I was given help when I needed it, but I was allowed to manage my project as it was my own and was encouraged to make my own decisions.

At the start of the placement I did not really have that much to do as I was waiting for deliveries so that I could really start. After around the 5th week I became very busy and after that never felt bored. But I never found that it was too much. Although many days I had to work an hour or two more than the standard 7.5 hours.

I was given a lot of responsibility. The projects we were given we were allowed to manage ourselves and to a certain extent tailor it towards our interests. Our projects were actually of importance and would be useful to the company for future developments.

I am not yet very far into my final year but I think the most useful thing that I learned was people skills and confidence in speaking to people above me, knowing what questions to ask to get what I wanted. This was particularly significant for me as although everyone spoke english, there was sometimes a language barrier. And the experience of working with people from many different backgrounds I think will be very useful in future.

Unfortunately I had an office by myself which was situated far from many other people so time in the office was fairly boring, but at least there were no distractions.

Considering there had never been a placement scheme at the particular site I was at, the internship was very well organised and there were no real problems. I had my computer and phone set up on the first day and all other logistics were fine. There was a small problem with our salary, but they were keen to resolve it.

Fridays were training days and these were very useful. We had trainings about giving presentations and 'effective business writing' which will be helpful in any company or situation. There assessment method was also very thorough and they commented on many aspects of our working and personal skills in our midterm and then at the end of the internship, so we were able to progress.

I have been given the hire recommendation so when there is a job available for me they will offer it and I do accept the job and have a career within the company.

Yes! We were all accomodated in the same hotel. There were events organised by the company but also many things we arranged to do by ourselves. We are still keeping in touch and plan to meet up again in future, even though we are spread all over Europe!

The cost was very average, it was not too expensive but not cheap. We were able to afford to go out, without a problem.

We didn't managed to find many good clubs in Frankfurt. There were many pubs to go and sit in but as the city is very much a business city there were not many places geared towards students.

We did not really have time to do much outside work. There was also a problem with language as they would have mostly been conducted in German. Some people took some language classes. We did get involved in the Dragon Boat race for the festival at the end of August which was a lot of fun!