Summer Placement Engineering Geologist Review

The company had a very relaxed and friendly feel to it, where my colleagues were really lovely, making me feel at ease straight away and making the office a pleasant place to work. I was happy to work on different pieces of work for different projects which gave me experience in a range of areas and kept the job interesting. I found attending project meetings very beneficial, where I was able to participate in discussions about the next steps to take in a project. I also enjoyed carrying out some research and writing up background information for an annual trip handbook run by the company.

Most of my colleagues who presented work for me to do were very grateful for my input. However I am not aware of my work, once completed, having always been read and checked, and I received very little feedback on the work, unless asked for by myself. Despite this, I feel that I settled into the team very easily and quickly as everyone was very welcoming and keen to introduce themselves. I was included in lunchtime activities which included walks around the park and games of frisbee with some of the less senior members of the team. I was also treated to a goodbye lunch at local restaurant on my last day.

My line manager was very happy to help when I asked for advice and would take time to explain things to me thoroughly. However, I felt that I could turn to anyone in the team with any enquires I had, not just my line manager, as everyone was very friendly and approachable. I was offered advice for during my masters and told to get in touch if I had any questions or needed help during my studies.

There was a bit of a slow start having billable work to do at the start of my placement so kept myself busy completing online introductory modules. I was given one project at a time to work on which made it easier to concentrate on the work at hand but found that I usually had to request work from my line manager (or other colleagues) to make sure that I had something to do once I finished. Although sometimes I was short of work, it is understandable that the busyness of the office varies depending on external factors.

I had the opportunity to do billable work on a range of projects, completing presentations, desk study reports and ground investigation reports which would all be presented to clients. I was also trusted with access to high security documents in order to complete project work. I never felt as if I had people looking over my shoulder while I worked but everyone was very happy to put time into answering any questions I had.

I learnt a lot about the structure and operation of a large consultancy, and the differences between consultancy and contractor companies. I achieved this though talking to colleagues, taking the introductory modules and learning about my everyday projects. This led me to think more about what would be the most beneficial route to take for my career. I became more familiar with technical data such as borehole logs and documents and reports necessary to present to clients during project work.

The atmosphere was very relaxed and friendly with positive chatter during coffee breaks.

My account login details had not been prepared when I arrived on my first day so I spent most of the day reading printed out material to keep myself busy while someone tried to set it up. My line manager was on leave at the time so it seems my arrival hadn't been formally organised with another member of staff.

Two out of three of the other younger people at work had summer placements with the company. However they still had to go through most of the usual application processes to get the job. This included online tests and technical tests at an interview day, although they didn't have to have the usual face-to face interviews. I would have to do the same.

I was the only summer intern in my team while I was there. Although we had very sociable lunchtimes where we went for walks and played frisbee on the open grass within the business park, people usually went straight home after work. Most lived over half an hour away so there were no socials in the evening.

I rented a pretty nice house for £350 per month including bills and a cleaner, which was a short drive away from the office. There was a large Asda and an Aldi a few minutes drive away which made shopping for food after work quick, easy and cheap. Most people took in their own lunches as there were fridges and a microwave for anyone to use, though there was also a large spa in the business park which people frequently visited. There was a business park canteen, although I never used this.

I didn't go out in Warrington, but the other graduates at work seem to go out in Manchester rather than Warrington.

A karting event was organised for the team and a rounders match against the team in leeds was also organised. I heard that the company also organise an annual ski holiday and educational field trips for the employees.