Industrial Trainee - Compliance Review

everyone in my team was great, really friendly and supportive in every way, no matter how big or small something was. I really felt like I fit in and the company culture is very supportive. My responsibilities were as big and as important as anyone else's and I really felt like a valued part of the team.

I felt extremely valued by my team and by other colleagues. My work was routinely used as part of larger projects by the team so it was clearly very important. I felt like I was an integral member of the team and was always asked my opinion on things during team meetings and asked for advice and help on certain issues by my colleagues!

I had a catch up with my manager once a week to provide him with an update on what I had been up to since we last me. It was an opportunity to discuss any issues I had been having with projects I was working on and also to brainstorm new ideas and potential solutions for upcoming projects. My manager always had an open door and was very approachable and very open to helping out with anything that he could. My other team members also were great and willing to help me with anything and I extended the same back to them so we all had a great relationship.

I found that with having multiple projects on the go at any one time, plus the odd request during the working day, I was constantly busy and always had something to do. My days were split up between planning out projects, liaising with colleagues, attending meetings, completing training that was necessary for upcoming tasks, and actually doing work with my projects.

I was leading on various projects throughout my placement, and it was my responsibility to keep them moving forwards - making sure the right people were involved at all times and that the rest of the team was kept up to date. So I would say I was given as much responsibility as any of the permanent employees!

I have learned a lot of computer skills this year, my work primarily being online and in excel. I feel like I would no issues doing graphs and tables etc with data from the lab, should I need to next year! I also completed an introductory marketing course, an excel skills course and a lean six sigma training course that led to me getting my yellow belt certificate.

The office was never quiet, people are chatty in certain moods. But generally everyone has their heads down and is working hard all day! No one ever turns away talking to someone though, and the relationships between me and my team is great, we can all have a laugh together and work together to solve problems too.

The whole recruitment process for the Pfizer placements started very early on compared to some other organisations. The initial applications were due end of October, video interviews in November and then assessment days in December. I then had another interview for another role in February. So in terms of the recruitment, everything is very early and gives people plenty of time to prepare. When we started in September we knew where we were supposed to go and who we would be meeting to take us up to our desks. We had an introduction to our teams, and were set up with our laptops on the first day. From there it was our responsibility to complete the online training modules to ensure we would have access to the necessary systems and resources. I have felt just like any other employee here, I fit in very well with my team and I know exactly what my role is. So I'd say the overall work placement is organised well!

I was constantly being offered opportunities to attend training sessions, courses where I could learn new skills and there was one where I learnt about how to go about improving certain processes and their efficiency. I also had weekly catch ups with my manager to check on how I was doing with my workload and if there was anything that I could be doing or that my manager could do to help out with anything. I felt very valued.

Pfizer has recently established a grad scheme, so that is definitely an opportunity I am looking into as a way of coming back to the company after I have completed my degree. There are also regular job opportunities in the company, not just at the site in Tadworth but at any of the other UK sites. I am definitely considering Pfizer as a future employer after my experience during my placement year. It is a great company that really cares about it employees and their development - the perfect place for a career if you are interested in advancement opportunities and really making a difference in people's lives.

We did have a facebook page where we would organise socials with other interns, but there wasn't much to do in the area really - especially for people who are used to living in an area where you can go out and do whatever you want no matter the time of day! Making friends with the other students wasn't hard as they were all friendly.

Surrey is in London and is a very popular place for commuters to live with their families so I am sure that you can guess it was not cheap. Our rent for the flat was £490 each per month, and that is the cheapest we could find within a reasonable commuting distance to the office - pretty ridiculous. But it is ok if you accept you probably won't be making many savings at all if you want to live a normal life and have fun every now and again.

Basically non-existent. There were a few pubs in Epsom, where we lived, but they weren't open at night time. There was one club that I think was only open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and it was full mainly of 18 year olds and underage local kids who were getting in using someone else's ID probably. It's kind of like being at university in a town up on a mountain or something.

We are allocated up to 5 days per year where we are allowed to undertake voluntary work - this can include things like volunteering at an animal home, painting houses for homeless people, and many other things. I used some of my paid voluntary days to help a child's cancer charity to reorganise and plan their business model for the next few years, so I was using skills I had developed during my placement.