Content Scientist Review

by Sparx

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

Rating

4.1/5
  • The Role
    4.2
  • The Company
    4.1
  • The Culture
    4.0

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • 4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • Everyone at Sparx was really friendly and accommodating. After our first day at work, the company organised a paid-for meal out at a restaurant by the river where everyone was really chatty and friendly, which was a great way to meet new colleagues. Several people were offering to buy drinks for the interns! Since then I've made some really good friends at Sparx and I feel more than confident to share my own thoughts and opinions in the workplace.

    5/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • On the first day of work, I was assigned to a team consisting of me and an experienced content scientist at Sparx, who guided me throughout the internship. We worked on several projects together throughout the internship, on which she helped me to understand and carry out the tasks required. Having my own dedicated supervisor was extremely helpful, as I could always turn to her to help or support when required. Sparx also organised weekly catch-up sessions with members of the recruitment team - support was always available when needed and the company was very flexible with any requests.

    5/5

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

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • I felt like a real member of the content team at Sparx, where my thoughts and opinions were valued as much as everybody else's. On two occasions I was handling a project to be submitted to schools all by myself - Sparx trusted my ability and this really made me feel like part of the company.

    4/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • Some of the most valuable skills I developed at Sparx were teamwork and co-operation, which formed a regular part of my daily work. The individual projects that we worked on during the internship were also extremely useful; I had to use my own initiative to decide on my own avenues of investigation, structure my work flow and solve problems. The skills I learnt would be extremely suitable to other jobs and also for postgraduate study, where the path of research is much more open.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The atmosphere in the office was always relaxed, but you felt that everyone was working hard. I definitely felt that I could approach anybody with any problems or queries that I had, or simply send them an instant message in the knowledge that they would get back to me quickly. This made working a cooperative and and social experience.

    4/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • Sparx made sure that we had a variety of diverse projects to work on, including solo projects and projects as part of a team. At no point during the internship did I ever feel pressure to work on a particular project; there was plenty of time available to work on each project and my team were happy to reorganise schedules if I needed more time to work on my solo projects, which was great!

    5/5

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

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Flexi Time

    Subsidised Canteen

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    Company Parties/Events

    5/5

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

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • Everyone at Sparx was friendly and sociable, and the company generally organised one or two events a week, which were always really good fun and usually well attended. The other interns were all really friendly and sociable - we regularly did things as a group, such as day trips to the beach or pub quizzes in the evenings.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • Sparx were kind enough to pay for our accommodation -we were put up in some really nice student accommodation, with utilities provided (except washing machines, which cost about £5 for a wash and dry). Since breakfast was available at Sparx and lunch was provided, we only had to pay for dinner which made living extremely cheap. Exeter is reasonably expensive for food and drink as far as cities go but the restaurants, pubs and bars were really nice.

    4/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • There were plenty of pubs and bars open late on Friday and Saturday - notably 'The Old Firehouse' (the pub that inspired the leaky cauldron) and the club 'Timepiece'. Exeter is really nice to walk around at night, there's a lot going on, everyone is having a good time and you always feel safe.

    4/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • There was generally some activity organised most days after work, from football and netball to ultimate frisbee and yoga! There was always a large company turn out at lots of these events which was fantastic, and they were always really good fun, with an 'anyone can get involved' feel to them so that you didn't feel intimidated if you had never played.

    5/5

    Report this review

Details

Internship (1 Month+)

South West

August 2017


View More Reviews