Intern Review

I really enjoyed this insight programme. The work was varied, well structured, and challenging. I learned a lot about the Civil Service as well as the specific department I was working in, and I got to meet a range of different colleagues from entry to senior level and learn about their roles. It was a very engaging programme and the 2 weeks I spent there went very quickly.

I felt valued during my time at the Civil Service because a range of colleagues explained various policies and processes to me and asked for my opinion on these. I was also asked to give a presentation on how the department could effectively change some of their processes and make the department more efficient in order to ensure good value for the taxpayer. This was listened to by colleagues, and they also gave me some constructive feedback on my presentation which was very helpful. Everyone i met was enthusiastic about the insight programme i was on.

I received guidance from the people who organised the insight, as well as from entry level to senior levels of staff. i was given lots of support in terms of learning different processes and policies, i was given enough independence to complete my own small projects but i was made aware that it was ok to ask for help and further guidance in some of the more complex tasks, which gave me the confidence to learn more and ask freely about their daily work. I was also given additional cultural guidance throughout the insight, and was taken to see various sights in London as well.

I now have more information and experience into what it is like to work within a government department, and specifically i can demonstrate early administrative and HR experience on my CV now. It also allowed me to gain some practical experience alongside my degree studies, which gives me a valuable sense of balance. It is also a good experience that i can use when i go to interviews and assessment days for similar graduate schemes in the civil service or elsewhere. It has also helped me to develop my confidence and interpersonal skills.

The structure was very clear and well-organised on the insight programme. For instance, there were presentations at the beginning and the end of the programme, and each day in between was structured with different learning tasks I needed to complete. I was allocated time to attend specific meetings and shadow particular tasks. This meant I always knew where i was supposed to be and what task to do, and ensured that i made the most of my short time there and maximised my learning.

The general atmosphere was enthusiastic, welcoming, and challenging. It was clear that the team were hard-working, well organised, and friendly. The department also appears to value diversity, and promote equality within its hiring processes and with the way members of staff treat each other. People seemed to enjoy their work, not have too much stress, and have a good work/life balance. For instance, i met people who were completing degrees alongside their work, or following flexible working patterns.

The civil service invested a lot of time into my personal training and development. They made it clear that the insight programmes were important to them, that they valued my learning, and ensured that i took away as much knowledge and confidence as possible from the insight programme. They also financially invested into making sure that students such as myself from less privileged backgrounds were able to afford to participate in the insight programme so that we would not miss out on the opportunity.

The insight gave me a very good knowledge of what it would be like to carry out the daily processes there. It also gave me lots of insight into what kind of personal goals and targets the employees at different levels with in the organisation are given, as well as how members of staff are effectively held to account to ensure an efficient, ethical service and use of public funds. Overall i would say i was given an advantage in terms of understanding the role and knowing the pros and cons of working in such an environment.

The insight gave me a lot of knowledge about the culture in the civil service, from their daily processes and how they deal with targets regarding efficiency and performance to employment strategies and how they make sure that employees are treated fairly and equally, that diversity is celebrated, and that employees are given the opportunity to work flexibly, set their own targets, and achieve as much as possible.

The content was very valuable in helping me to decide on your future career path because it made me very enthusiastic about working in the non-profit sector. It gave me a lot of first hand experience and information about working in this sector, meaning that it is now more likely i will be able to find work in this sector in my future career as i will be able to talk about my own experience directly.

I was reimbursed adequate expenses which meant it was feasible for me from an underprivileged background. This was essential as i would not have been able to participate otherwise.

There opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the company or firm in the form of being allowed to attend scheduled meetings, shadow particular colleagues across the organisation, as well as sit in on people's performance reviews and informal staff performance meetings. I was also told more about how the department works and liases with other government departments and about how they interact, I would imagine that if i worked there full time there would be even more opportunities to meet different employees.

The networking and social event opportunities were engaging, varied, and allowed me to meet lots of similar people in my age group for an under privileged background. This meant that i could discuss career plans, other internships, and degree studies with peers who i had not met before, giving me a broader sense of what i wanted to do in the future. I made friends which i still keep in contact with, and this also improved my early networking skills.

Unfortunately i did not find out about any actives that employees could get involved in outside of work, but i feel that this was due to me not asking the question/not having time to go into the details of extracurricular activities. The social aspect of the workplace did appear that everyone in the team got on well and had similar interests, so i imagine that there would be room for activities for employees there.

I would definitely recommend this insight to a friend, not only because it was interesting, engaging and a good use of my time, but also because it is a good addition to my CV and my workplace experiences which i feel will benefit me personally in later interviews and job applications. Secondly, I would recommend it because they dedicated both time and money into ensuring that i was able to fully participate in the insight, and made that i was treated equally and not allowed to be set back by any disadvantages.