Regulatory Affairs - Pfizer Innovative Health - Review

Working at Pfizer in Regulatory Affairs (based at Walton Oaks) was a great way to take a break from university whilst gaining experience of a pharmaceutical company. In terms of enjoyment at Walton Oaks there is lots of interns to spend time with, a gym for lunch time or after work and football weekly at lunch times. During work hours though in Regulatory Affairs the office is quiet so if it is a vibrant, chatty office that you desire then perhaps considering other departments.

At Pfizer you're definately made to feel one of the 'team' from the start. After initial introductory training you're given tasks which matter, giving you a sense of responsibility and acheivement when they're complete without being 'thrown in at the deep end'. You are valued by your manager and team in regulatory affairs.

The support and guidance by managers differs from manager to manager. Overall however, it seems what you put in to the placement is what you will get out of the placement. If you make it known that you're interested in the job and keen to learn then your manager is very likely to be supportive and guide you through difficult tasks. If you do not display these qualities then you can be left to 'flounder' without any direct purpose so always keep on task and take on as much responsibility as you can.

In regulatory affairs it differes depending on the products that you work on and the stage of development they're in. If for example your products are well established you may be steadily busy throughout the year. If you're working on a new drug going through an initial marketing authorisation application then you will be very busy at times and less so at others. You can always take on others tasks to fill your time, you will never be short of projects you're able to help out with if you go out of your way to take them on.

A good mix of responsility, building throughout the year. In regulatory there is often too much at stake to rely on an intern, so you may find you're helping rather than taking on tasks single handed most of the time as in marketing for example.

You are given a variety of talks from different departments, trips, development programmes and the opportunity to work in other departments for a couple of days 'shadowing' if you so wish.

The office is quiet, do not consider regulatory affairs if you're looking for a youthful, lively office and this is one of the most important factors in your decision.

Very well organised on the whole with lots of opportunities. It does vary from manager - manager as the topics change which you can be given and some people were left with little to do at times so make sure you network and are keen to take on different tasks.

The company clearly spent lots of money investing in the interns despite not necessarily taking them on in a graduate programme or offering them a job afterwards. We had several trips to plants around the UK, external meetings as well as a lot of time invested in tutoring us throughout the year by our team members and by other colleagues.

There are currently no graduate schemes in regulatory affairs which somewhat contradicts the purpose of a placement year. This is going to change though.

Yes, with over 30 interns at Walton Oaks there is a social scene and you're very close to London. I think this is a different story however if you're based in Sandwich (Kent).

Surrey is expensive around £420 - 500 a month for a room

No nightlife in Walton Oaks or the surrounding villages but good transport links to London make it the preferred place to gather at weekends.

No, aside from the gym there was very little organised like weekly work drinks or anything. It would be up to the interns to arrange this themselves.