Project Services Intern Review

Very much enjoyed - the team were very welcoming and gave me engaging projects to work on. There are a number of different activities to get involved in alongside your work such as sport; run club, circuits, ultimate Frisbee or lunch and learn giving you a chance to learn about other areas of the business.

From day 1 the team were very welcoming. As part of my projects I have produced tools that the team and wider business will continue using well into the future after I have left. By giving me work that benefitted them and the business made me feel very valued and trusted. The team also invited me along to important meetings and trips to help me understand and get more involved in their work.

Several people across the business have offered career advice and support throughout the internship. There is also a good buddy system and several points of contact to speak to about issues either related to the internship or not - you can tell these people really care about you as a person. My line manager was good at inviting me along to meetings/ events and introducing me to people at the start.

Fairly busy but I was able to balance my work load well so I could go to extra curricular activities, I never felt like I was stressed by having too much work. If I didn't have enough work I had to ask my line manager for more. We had a good relationship were I was given the responsibility to ask for more work or say I had too much.

I was in charge of planning and organising my work as well as asking for more if I needed. I was introduced a project, set the problem and told what the solution had to do but I had free reign of how I went about getting to the solution and moulded the projects as I went along. I felt like the project was in my hands and my line manager was there to offer help or guide me when I asked for it. Because my line manager didn't know what the solution was either I felt like I was leading the projects and reporting back on my findings.

I have a much better idea of how a business functions and have learnt many interpersonal skills required to operate well in a team at work - this will help me well into the future. I developed technical skills which will be invaluable for data manipulation which will aid me during my final year project when I return to university.

Friendly, welcoming - you don't feel bad or as if you are being watched if you have a chat in the office at someone's desk. You are expected to work hard but also enjoy the work and be relaxed.

Very well organised - projects were planned for when I arrived and my team were ready for me. Some correspondence beforehand was limited because they couldn't discuss projects until I was enrolled due to confidentiality issues, this left me a little unsure of what was to come but once I started I felt like there was lots for me to get on with. I felt like the company as a whole was prepared for the group of interns to join.

There were a few training sessions for interns to attend during the internship, however most of the personal development was through me pursuing activities myself. A lot of the learning was done on the job and not through specific sessions. The projects I was set enabled me to grow in many ways and hone new skills.

The team have given me positive feedback throughout the internship so I would love to work for them if I am offered a job.

A few of the interns socialised but it was a struggle. In previous years the interns have all lived together in university accommodation but this couldn't be organised this year - I think that was a major difficulty as interns were living in different areas and working at different locations so hard to meet up. Also when we tried to organise events only a few people seemed interested. If the company could have organised events throughout the internship (not just at the beginning) and between locations that would have really helped

London is an expensive area but I found affordable accommodation and managed to socialise as much as I wanted. The company paid very well - only problem was we had to wait a month for the first payment.

You wouldn't go out in the area I worked - you would have to head into London which is only half an hour on the train. Most people didn't live in the work area, they lived further into town so had all the bars, restaurants and clubs you would want, easily accessible on public transport.

I took part in lots of lunchtime and after work activities such as tennis, run club, circuits, touch rugby and ultimate Frisbee. This was a great way to meet new people and relax after work. I also attended lunch and learns which give you the opportunity to listen to a guest speaker from a different area of the business. I was also a member of the challenger and intern community and engagement committee - this involved planning and organising social and charity events for interns and grads. This was a great extra curricular activity for getting to know graduates and it was a thoroughly rewarding and enjoyable experience.