Undergraduate Body Control Module Engineer Review

Working here, you really get what you put in. I was always allowed to engage in the activities I wanted, unless they posed a safety risk, and even then, accommodations were often made very quickly. I worked in the Body Control Module Team for 3 months, but my manager never had a problem with me trying other things. In the end, I spent a week with Audio calibration, a week with Aerodynamics and another week with Chassis Electronics during my time here. They also offer great learning opportunities with free courses running frequently on-site. The only downside was that I didn't get to choose where in the business I would be placed as my home department; although I got lucky since the BCM team was insightful and useful for me as an experience. Electrical Engineers don't get to choose, but Mechanical Engineers have some influence.

My colleagues were a great bunch! I never felt like "the intern" or anything like that. Whenever I had an idea, everyone listened as they would normally, and gave me very rewarding feedback in a supportive manner. I had a lot of learning to do in the beginning, and everyone was happy to teach, no one was ever too busy, and they always answered my questions, no matter how simple they were for them. People usually bring sweets to share at the office on the odd days, and on Fridays you'll usually find a few boxes of Samosas to share for some occasion.

My supervisors did a great job of guiding me through the initial learning stages, along with anything else I needed to know; acquiring software, enrolling in courses, using company systems, common practice, etc.

While I was learning, I didn't have much work to do, which is understandable since I needed to get familiar with certain aspects of the team. However, nearing the end, I had a good amount of daily tasks to do, and even two projects that I was in charge of! Fridays were a little boring though, as many people are on a 37-Hour contract, which means they leave early, and it's difficult to get things done on that day unless your work doesn't rely on anyone else.

I was given the opportunity to lead two projects (one of which I asked for myself), and took over one of the weekly technical meetings for my team. I was really glad to do this as running the meeting gives you much more insight into the technical aspects of the team, and it allowed me to surmount the learning curve for understanding all the BCM functions.

With BCM, I learned to use Simulink and Python during my time at JLR. I also learned to perform software downloads, diagnostics and snapshots. During my time away from BCM, I learned how to calibrate the audio for an entire car from scratch; EQ tuning was a very technical and involved process (a great combination of scientific method and good listening), but the most exciting part was modulating the sound stage, and making the car "feel" wider or narrower, farther or closer at certain points depending on the profile of car we were working on.

The environment was very busy and fast-paced but also lighthearted. The work is demanded, and the engineers cope by making sure everyone's having a good time, often cracking jokes and bringing food into the office for everyone to share. Additionally, personal time is highly valued and respected; you are not expected to answer any calls or e-mails after your work time is over, and this boundary was never crossed for me; if I chose to remain after-hours, I could, and this was billable if I was needed.

We were given a 3-day induction, to get an insight into the company and a chance to see previews of new released. Although some information was repeated numerous times, it was nonetheless insightful and useful for our formation as interns. We had regular activities and meet-ups with graduates in case we wanted to ask questions, and I even took part in two graduate-run technical projects that we had the opportunity to join. We were also each assigned a mentor, accredited by the iMechE with a training course which both the mentor and mentee had to attend in order to learn how to make the most of the mentoring experience. Additionally, 3-month interns get 0 paid holidays, although you can get unpaid ones at your manager's discretion.

There was a plethora of online courses available to me (they were all free and most of them were very insightful and well-organized). However, the best part of the learning experience was the regular on-site day or half-day courses taught by other colleagues on modern or upcoming systems and technologies to be used at JLR. This gave me the impression that the company values its employees, and recognizes that they are its most important investment. The only criticism I have is that the online courses ran very slowly, and it took a lot of time to complete them, often not because of the difficulty of the information but simply because the layout and animations were sluggish, which was quite frustrating. It was also difficult to enroll in courses as an intern since many require multiple sessions which run year-long, and during the 3-months I was rarely able to get past the "introduction to:..." courses, simply due to time constraints.

As a part of the Electrical Sponsorship Scheme, I am entitled to a bonus of 1,500£ for every summer that I return to JLR, and am guaranteed a graduate placement/job, provided my manager gives me a positive review. The graduate placement is a two-year experience during which you have the opportunity to take several mini-placements away from your home department in order to help you settle in to a team you actually enjoy at JLR. Aside from this, there are many other perks: for example, JLR will give you 200£ per year to learn ANY skill you want (skydiving, martial arts, guitar, anything).

Everyone was friendly, and it was great to meet students from many different places across the UK (and internationally), as well as in many different years of study. Everyone lives pretty much in the same building in flats with shared kitchens, which makes it easy to meet and connect with people. There's also a facebook group for everyone living at the accommodation in Coventry, which is used for organizing outings.

No one lives in Gaydon (the main HQ for JLR), employees usually live in Warwick or Leamington Spa, and interns are given accommodation opportunities in Coventry, although they can live somewhere else if they wish. I lived in Coventry, and my rent with bills for 3 months was only 1,000£, in a large en-suite room with a double bed. The price for food and drink was around the same as anywhere else in the UK.

The interns generally live in Coventry, which has just one (pretty bad) club, and is quite dingy. You definitely don't want to be alone if you're outside late at night, always go out with a friend when you're there. The other reasonably close locations are Warwick and Leamington Spa, which are much nicer and safer than Coventry, but you'll still be hard-pressed to find a decent night out. If you don't mind commuting over an hour to work, then I would get a flat in Birmingham, which is much more alive than anywhere else that's nearby. Don't get your hopes up for nights like in Manchester/Edinburgh/London though, it's not incredible but it'll carry you for 3 months.

There was a regular football club that ran a few times per week, and since most of the interns live in one place, you'll easy make friends and will always have something to do on the weekends. Many of the undergrads return each summer and take it upon themselves to set up outings and other activities for the group. There are more activities for graduates, however, from what I hear, and these are sponsored by the company (track days, Land-Rover Experience, etc).