Summer Vacation Student Review

My experience with Arup was excellent throughout. From an organizational point of view, the company really lives its values and ethos and this comes out directly through the actions of its employees. Everyone is engaging, willing to share, interested in what they do, and hugely motivated. I was also able to learn a great deal about how Arup is structured, the type of work it does and, equally importantly, how it supports its staff body through continued development opportunities and social events / clubs etc. Over all, it was an incredibly enjoyable and valuable experience.

In short, I always felt like a member of my team and a part of the wider Arup staff body. At no point was I treated like 'the work experience student'. I was given suitable responsibility, meaningful and relevant tasks, and my opinions were was valued and considered as those I was working with. I was required to work with colleagues in my own team, across departments and across offices; at no point did I feel that my status as a student affected how I was viewed or type and quality of the work that I was asked to produce. I attended in-house open meetings called 'Charettes' and was immediately made to feel welcome with my thoughts as valued as more experienced colleagues.

The guidance and support I received was perfect for my level of experience. As an older student I already have some experience of working within office and technical environments as well as a range of preexisting knowledge and skills, which my manager was aware of. To that end, I was given work suitable to this and, whilst I was left to continue independently, assistance was always available if I required it, I just had to ask. Furthermore, I was often given work in support of my team-mates and was therefore able to work very closely with them and ask any questions / get any information or assistance that I felt I needed. They were excellent in supporting me throughout and were willing to share their own thoughts, knowledge and experience. I was also given as many varied opportunities as possible, including site visits.

As the insight took place towards the end of my formal study year its overall impact on my Masters Degree was limited however, it was of huge value to me from a personal and professional standpoint. I had returned to education to enhance my career prospects and working with Arup not only blew the dust off of several of my previous soft and transferable skills but reassured me that the skills I had, plus the knowledge I had received as part of my Masters degree, were relevant and in good order. Working with Arup revealed a side of the Heritage sector that I had not directly work in or with before however, had interest in joining. The insight experience enabled me to tighten up my skills, learn some new professional processes and requirements and gain an understanding of how this part of the sector functions. It has been invaluable in enhancing my professional development.

I was very happy with the insight structure. I joined the scheme on a slightly odd time-frame - 3 days a week in a month with 2 bank holidays - so there were some slight abnormalities to 'normal working', however; this did not detract from the plans made by my manager or the opportunities I was afforded, it simply required some additional organisation. (Which in-itself was a useful skill to practice). On completing the experience I fed back some small suggested improvements as part of my required feedback report as I felt that a student who was perhaps less confident and expereinced than me may benefit from a slightly more confirmed outline. My score here reflects this. For me there were no problems with the structure by one or two very small adjustments would take it to a 9/10.

Excellent. There was a genuine feeling of support and welcome throughout the office that I worked in. Arup has a engaging and motivated staff body with a very high level of morale. There is a positive vibe present throughout all of the departments and teams. Different teams work to different peaks and troughs in pressure and workload and those with more capacity readily make themselves available to assist their colleagues. There is good humour and what looks to be a vibrant out-of-work social scene with various clubs and activities available to join. There is an atmosphere of mutual support, respect and good humour.

As an insight student I was only with Arup for a short time however, the Cultural Heritage Team provided me with some very good desk-based learning - recommending some excellent Best Practice guides that I could study - and also arranged for me to have a place as a delegate on a workshop they were running in partnership with Historic England.

Completely. The working environment (an open plan office) allowed for understanding by osmosis, you could quite easily pick up certain elements of conversations and projects. The weekly 'Charettes' mentioned previously also fostered a wider understanding of the various projects that Arup was working on. A very good welcome and orientation tour also served to answer lots of basic everyday type questions - e.g. working day, facilities, training etc. Finally, the team I was with were excellent and included me in all manner of their daily tasks and dynamic. I was even required to submit time sheets and worked on a billable account which I had to accurately record and manage in terms of prioritisation.

I was treated essentially as a new member of staff so had access to all of the information common to the Arup staff body: news letters, club/society communications, the intranet etc. I was also able to witness values put directly into practice through the open office environment. I regularly saw coaching, inter-team and inter-office support, as well as regular local, top down, and bottom up feedback exercises. It was a noticeable how everyone in Arup embodied their ethos, a really positive culture.

My overall aim was to experience and understand how the 'private' side (e.g. not charitable trusts, archaeological units, local authorities etc.) of the wider heritage industry operated. The insight experience provided me with a wealth of useful, relevant and current information. It served to confirm that I had a substantial range of the required skills, experience and knowledge necessary for similar positions in the future whilst at the same time indicating where I could further develop.

I received what I think is the London Living Wage. Whilst not a huge amount it is, I believe, relatively unusual to receive payment for insight/placement/internship opportunities. The payment showed me that Arup and their insight program had a genuine interest in finding, supporting and investigating in potential future employees - they weren't simply after could cynically be seen as free labour. Receiving a salary also meant that I instantly felt a part of the organisation, I was valued and also, in return, had to deliver on what was asked of me. The practicalities of receiving a salary speak for themselves, especially whilst a full time student with travel and other living expenses to consider.

Very much so. One of my first tasks was to undertake some work for a team leader based in a different UK office. Furthermore, whilst we couldn't me our relative diaries work (May was a very busy time) I was also looking to meet one of the heritage directors however, despite not being able to meet, we have exchanged contact information to meet at a later date. My manager also facilitated my networking with an industry professional outside of Arup who has an interest in my dissertation topic (we communicate regularly). Finally, the welcome orientation, weekly 'Charrettes' and the office culture meant that meeting other colleagues was very easy.

Aside from the Charettes I didn't attend any of the other social events that occurred during my insight experience - this was due to the reduced time of my experience rather than any obstruction or desire not to attend. Communication within Arup is very good and I was always aware, in good time, of numerous social and professional events being held throughout the two London offices. They were relatively regular and very easy to access.

I did. In fact, it was almost hard not to. Whilst I didn't perhaps know the finer details e.g. specific time or meeting places (I wasn't able to commit to this type of activity during my experience) I was aware of the range of activities and events available outside of the work place. There certainly seemed to be a very vibrant scene at the London offices as well as the opportunity to join in with various charitable events with colleagues from other offices. There was of course the usual team-base drinks / after work dinners out as well. There was an excellent mix of size and variety of things to get involved in.

I really enjoyed the insight experience with Arup and the Cultural Heritage team. I have already fed this back to my course supervisor at UCL and I hope that a closer relationship can be drawn between Arup and UCL in the future. The experience is certainly useful to the MA students and, I hope, equally useful to Arup and the Cultural Heritage team. I will certainly be recommending that the 2017 Masters students on the same or similar course as me consider Arup for the required placement/experience.