Mechanical Engineer Summer Intern Review

by BAE Systems

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

Rating

3.9/5
  • The Role
    4.3
  • The Company
    3.8
  • The Culture
    3.5

    The Role

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

    • Thoroughly enjoyed the internship over the summer. A great, friendly working environment where everyone is willing to answer your questions. Got to see and try out really interesting products and was able to work on a project that contributed to my team. I learnt a lot about working in this industry and processes in different business areas. Could have been pushed a bit more but that could also be down to how proactive you are in your work. Plenty of social activities organised for the interns/graduates to keep us busy.

    4/5
  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

    • Settled in straight away with the most friendly colleagues and looked forward to coming in every morning. Was trusted to carry out tasks and was included in meetings where I could represent the team for an aspect of the product I was working on. Felt valued being included in email updates and team briefs.

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

    • Good support throughout, official meeting with manager at start, middle, and end of the internship. Guidance whenever I asked for it - always felt like I could ask anyone for any help. Was treated on the same level as other priorities - joined at a busy period but was always given time and support.

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

    • A fairly stress-free placement. Worked to deadlines towards the end of the placement in terms of ordering parts in for testing in the labs, but was a bit slow to get started on the project. There was always something to do, i.e. a Friday challenge that involved a bit of research, or an extension for my project. But I never came close to struggling with the workload.

    4/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • Was given my own project that ran along-side the team's work and helped them kick-start a design aspect of a product. Didn't feel much pressure because someone else would have picked up the project when I left, but was always encouraged to speak about my progress in meetings so I always felt like I was contributing.

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

    • Invaluable experience in industry, sitting in on meetings and seeing how communication works between management and separate areas of engineering for the development of a product. Was trained to use CAD software and all the relevant programmes. As well as improving communication and presentation skills, learning about how designs are produced and analysed will be useful for my degree and beyond.

    5/5

    The Company

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

    • More relaxed than I expected. Regular breaks are encouraged and you are trusted to take them whenever as long as you get the work done. I always had good fun and jokes where I was placed, but I knew of other interns who were pretty bored, put in an area where colleagues didn't talk to each other as much or it wasn't as team focused.

    4/5
  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

    • Was given a good project that lasted me the 12 weeks and wasn't too complex that I couldn't make good progress on it in the short period. Had a mid-term and end review, but the mid-term review was a bit late on so there wasn't much progress to talk about in the final review. Nice introductory tours and activities to ease us in and get to know each other at the start. The summer intern conference towards the end was a nice opportunity to meet interns from other sites.

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

    • Was given training for relevant programs and had many opportunities to develop communication and presentation skills in meetings. If I was there for longer I think I would have gained more training.

    4/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • Flexi Time

    Subsidised Canteen

    Company Parties/Events
    3/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • Really nice work environment to be in. The graduate scheme is attractive and there would be plenty of opportunities to work on exciting projects and work up the ranks. People seem to have an input on what they want to work on and are able to move around the company to progress in different areas.

    4/5

    The Culture

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

    • There were a few events organised for the graduates and interns, including the free BBQ and pub golf. The other interns were always up for socialising and being on the graduate email list was entertaining. Would have liked to have a few more events organised for everyone to go to – sort of just ended up at the same pub every week.

    4/5
  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

    • Average prices in pubs - around £3/£4. There is a wetherspoons.

    4/5
  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

    • Pubs are nice, and a couple clubs in the area.

    4/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • A few sports on offer after work and some organised social activities.

    3/5
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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

South East

August 2017

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