Undergraduate Engineer Review

My internship was a very enjoyable and beneficial experience - I was given real responsibilities, which allowed me to learn and improve my skills. I was fortunate to be place on a prestigious project with many different stages of construction. Cooperation with engineers and site managers was very enjoyable too - they were helpful and supportive all the time.

I felt as being a full-valued member of the on-site team. I was sometimes asked to complete important tasks on my own (for example mark out lines/points and heights as per construction drawings and directly interact with the workforce). Even though I was ‘just a summer intern’, I was treated as one of the site engineers, which was extremely nice.

The support was available from the other engineers (predominantly graduates) - the introduction and insights into the project they provided were useful and relevant for most responsibilities I was later given. When working on an individual task and unsure how to proceed, they were the people who I asked for guidance and they were always ready to help.

I was kept busy almost every day, but some days were a little bit too relaxed. It’s worth mentioning that this site was somewhat less dynamic than construction sites usually are, in terms of workload. To be honest, for me it was ideal; rather than rushing to finish the tasks as quickly as possible, I could think twice before any actions, discuss or ask for in-depth explanations of what was going on.

Most of my daily tasks consisted of assisting the engineers, but I was given real responsibilities every now and then, especially when one of them left on holiday for two weeks. Marking out points arranged along circular arcs from a setting out point, indicating positions of floorboxes/openings and marking levels are some of the activities I was fully in charge of on my own.

In my second year at university, I had a construction-practice module ‘Constructionarium’ during which I got a grasp of some basic construction-related activities, including setting out. After an initial refresher, I was able to apply my previously gained knowledge and skills throughout my placement, while gradually improving them at the same time. The experience allowed me to see more practical aspects of civil engineering, which I was after, in terms of my professional development. The placement expanded my overall awareness of construction management, coordination of works, tolerances, construction techniques, etc.

The atmosphere was quite very good, with an excellent cooperation in between managers as well as engineers. The communication was always clear, with straight instructions of what needed to be done. As the whole team was in the same site office, I was able to hear what sort of things they deal with and some of problems that they tackle. This way, I could get to know and understand different roles and responsibilities of all managers and engineers involved.

Although not directly discussed with any of the managers, I was naturally allocated a role of an assistant site engineer, which worked really well from the very beginning. After familiarising myself with the project during the first couple of days, I set up my own personal objectives, which I followed for the rest of my placement, being supported by everyone in the team.

Being in the last year of my university studies, I am now very close to looking for a position of a graduate engineer. Based on my performance, I was recommended by my line manager to be fast tracked for the company’s 'Excelerate' programme (which is said to be among the best in the industry). John Sisk and Son are therefore on the top of my list, should I chose a career in construction.

The team went to play a 5-a-side football a couple of times after work - that was amazing!

I normally live in London (for more than 3 years now), so I was staying in my term-time flat over the summer. Obviously, living in London is quite expensive, due to the rent prices and costs of eating out. The area where this project is located belongs to one of the most prominent ones, but I did not spend too much time after work there. However, eating out (for lunch) was quite expensive, spending around £10 every day.

It's London, so always a plenty of opportunities what to do...