Data Intern Review

I had a fantastic time; the work was really interesting and relevant to the Sparx's goal.

The people at Sparx are fantastic, definitely my favourite aspect of working here; there are lots of company-run activities to hang out with colleagues and more time outside of work. I always felt that my opinions were valued and people were interested in what I had to say.

My supervisor was really great, clearly a lot of thought had gone into my project - even tailored specifically to what I'd mentioned I was interested in at assessment days. I was given the independence to work on my own and come u[p with my own ideas whilst knowing that I could seek help at any point. I was given the training I needed to use some new, useful tools and had regular check-ups with HR to see how my internship was going.

There is always plenty to do; my project was sufficiently open ended that there were always more avenues to explore, and if I felt I wasn't sure on the next steps to take I could always consult my supervisor.

I was allowed access to all the same resources that other full-time members of the data team had and was treated as equal to other, more senior members of the team.

I had huge exposure to the more practical aspects of statistical analysis and dealing with data. I will certainly keep this in mind when I continue my studies, as I now have a better understanding of how you can implement the theory I have learnt in a real life situation.

The atmosphere was great. It's exactly how I would imagine a progressive, tech-startup in Silicon Valley: everyone I worked with was really sharp and engaged with their work; there's free breakfast and lunch, activities to do on lunch break such as pool and table tennis; people work hard but are always up for a chat. The office and its grounds are beautiful, and everything is designed to be sustainable and state-of-the-art. Couldn't imagine a better office vibe!

Alice, the head of graduate recruitment, was very pro-active through the whole admissions process and maintained regular contact with us between each of the stages. Then, once we started, we had regular meetings with her and others from HR to ensure that our internship expectations were being met and that we were enjoying our time here. All the organisation was done seamlessly and the entire HR team were so much more capable than any other I've come across before.

The internship started with a 3 day R programming workshop run by ATASS Sports. We then had introductory sessions for the rest of the first week so that we could familiarise ourselves with the different departments. Throughout the rest of our internship, my supervisor (a statistics PhD) was always on hand to assist with statistics knowledge, how to use git, using the command line, etc. I now feel far more equipped to work as a data scientist than I was before the internship began.

The company is in a phase of growth and so now is a fantastic and interesting opportunity to join Sparx. The salary is good and it feels like a fantastic place to develop your skills whilst being surrounded by capable and inspiring individuals. I will certainly be applying to their graduate scheme and would love to continue working with Sparx.

Yes! The company-run events are very frequent and a great time to socialise. Excursions we did during our 2 months include: Dartmoor, board-game cafe, quay-side restaurant, PhD advice session, kayaking, BBQ. The accomodation (which Sparx pays for) was amazing (The Printworks, Exeter) and I lived with the 5 other interns who were all great. We had regular Game of Thrones nights, squash and trips to Spoons.

Minimal - Sparx paid for our accomodation and breakfast and lunch is provided free at work. Evening meals are also often provided on company events out (which are very frequent!) and often free drinks are also included. It would definitely be possible to go the entire internship without spending a penny on food or accomodation!

There's a bar/club called Timepiece which we went to a few times and had fun. Personally, I'm not really into going out and getting slaughtered so this wasn't important to me. But obviously the nightlife doesn't compare to a bigger city such as London. There were a couple of really great house parties with other colleagues (most of whom are of a similar, early-twenties age).

Lots! At work, there's a multi-purpose sports pitch on the company site where you can play tennis, football, netball, etc. Every day of the week there are different sports activities organised in addition to a free gym on-site. There's also a free gym at our accommodation, and because we're living in the middle of the city, we are surrounded by things to do: cinemas, sports centres, escape rooms, etc. There are beaches near by like Exmouth which are great, and also Dartmoor which is great for a good hike.