Industrial Placement Year in Physical Sciences Review

by Diamond Light Source

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.3/5
  • The Role
    3.7
  • The Company
    3.6
  • The Culture
    2.3

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

    • Great experience to learn cutting edge physics but felt very isolated in Harwell. Should have lived in Oxford.

    3/5
  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

    • Most people at Diamond are gems. Was given a good amount of responsibility.

    4/5
  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

    • Two supervisors. One was great, the other not so great.

    4/5
  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

    • Not that busy. Academia is a slow world and there were two extremes: either pretty busy or very relaxed. Shutdown happens for long periods and therefore, the best thing to do is to volunteer with Science outreach and things like that. Diamond suits a proactive person who doesn't mind a relaxed atmosphere.

    3/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • Good levels considering the complexity and expensiveness of the equipment..

    4/5
  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

    • The year at Diamond took me from a physics student and made me into a physicist. Also, it wasn't the easier year personally and I feel I grew from it.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

    • Pretty quiet for most of the year. Towards the end, more PhD students arrived and things were better.

    3/5
  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

    • Diamond is a very well organised place, however, ensure you get a good supervisor with enough time for you.

    4/5
  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

    • Very good. Lots of trips to places and skills learnt. Python training and things like that for free aswell.

    5/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • Flexi Time

    Company Parties/Events

    Above 25 days holiday

    Working from home
    3/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • WIthin the organisation, not so great as it's quite a static place. However, it's a great place to have on your CV so it's great for a year or two.

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

    • Not bad when they're around, but not amazing as Harwell is totally dead for young people. Live in Oxford.

    3/5
  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

    • Expensive place to be.

    2/5
  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

    • Dreadful in Harwell and Didcot but Oxford is pretty good. (Again, live in Oxford.)

    2/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • Science Communication and things which were good. Not much socially though.

    3/5
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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Engineering, Purchasing and Supply, Science

South East

August 2017

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