Buildings and Infrastructure Summer Placement Student Review

Overall I enjoyed my internship as it was a useful insight into seeing how a company operates and gaining experience with teamwork, presentation skills and professional skills. Initially it was hard to get used to working long hours and settling in to working at the company but after the first week it became a lot easier to find my way around the office and be accustomed to working life, which is very different from university studies.

I felt very valued throughout my internship and it was easy to get along with my colleagues. As I was placed in one corner of the office to start with, it was hard to talk to people as no one passes by your desk, but once I started working on more projects I started meeting more and more people which helped to develop professional contacts which may be useful in the future. Additionally, I was well integrated into the social life of the company including attending institution events with colleagues.

I was given a lot of support by managers and I was supported by both a line manager, who is involved with general help such as admin, settling into the company, IT and any other concerns, and additionally a project manager, who was responsible for providing me with work, guiding me through the professional processes and teaching me skills required for the project. Both were very helpful throughout and were always happy to help me with any questions I had.

In general I was satisfied with how busy I was, as mostly I had the right amount to do meaning I was neither bored nor too busy. However, during the first couple of weeks I felt as though I was given far too much work to do and was very busy throughout - when I had completed these projects though the work I was given afterwards was a lot more suitable and provided me with a good balance. At times there was not enough work for me to do but there was always someone who would have work for me to do if I asked.

There was a fair amount of responsibility within my internship as I was working on a live project with clients requiring the final information. However, at times although I was working on this project, the specific parts I was working on were more for the benefit of the company than the client, such as providing them with a greater understanding about a certain area of the project, but this was not urgent so not as much responsibility was placed on me.

I gained very valuable experience in software and computer programs which I would not normally have access to which is very useful for careers in the future. Furthermore, I developed my presentation skills and confidence greatly, which is directly applicable to university modules in which it is required of me to present information well. Also, skills such as working in a team and communicating with project managers and colleagues are beneficial, as this means that I have a greater understanding of how to work in a professional environment, which will help with careers beyond my degree.

There are a lot of graduates in the office which makes it easier to talk to them as they are closer to my age than more senior staff and managers. The combination of younger graduates and other older members of staff creates a well balanced atmosphere of communication and respect, but also some more lighthearted conversations,

The internship had a very clear structure from the beginning, with a useful induction to the company involving presentations about the sector and what the company does, As part of my first week I completed an induction project involving the knowledge I had learnt from the presentations. Throughout the internship I was given the opportunity to set objectives and have regular meetings with managers to assess my progress and discuss and issues I had.

I had the opportunity to work with several software packages which were paid for by the company and which I would not have the chance to work with at university. In terms of training and development, I learnt a lot through managers and mentors which increased my knowledge of the sector and gave me useful skills.

Employment prospects are good as they have a large graduate intake each year and making your name known to the company is valuable in potentially having a graduate job later on. However, to actually be offered a job with the company at this stage, it is necessary to complete a placement that is more than 3 months long, which I did not, and so I can't be offered a job straight after university.

I was the only intern on my specific scheme at the company and so although there are other summer interns similar to myself on other scheme at the company, I did not have the chance to work with them or meet them. However, there is a large number of graduates in my sector and so there are plenty of people who are of a similar age to me which means there are a lot of social opportunities and lots of chances to get to know colleagues better.

I lived at home so I didn't have any living costs, however socialising is a bit more expensive than normal as the office is in Surrey and just outside Greater London.

Lots of bars, restaurants and pubs which are great for socialising in after work.

There were opportunities to go to events put on by the chartered institution such as networking events and site visits. There are some sporting clubs and societies within the company which I had the opportunity to join, such as football and running.