Engineering intern Review

Worked as an intern for 12 months, during this time had a range of responsibilities and roles. Not the most productive placement but management was concerned with development. There was a very good social aspect of the role with opportunities to network and meet new people. There is a good grad and intern culture, the company loves new talent and to develop it. Lots of workshops and days out to learn about the company and work on personal development.

Loved my team, they were all very helpful and willing to guide me at any point. They made me feel like part of the team and that my input was valid. Colleagues outside my team were also lovely and desperate to help when I needed. Great company culture which is very friendly,casual and happy for questions to be asked. Other interns are great company aswell for help and to assist. My manager pushed me a bit to take on new roles with real responsibility to make me feel important.

My first month was full of struggles because the placement wasn't living up to the expectations I had, management were very quick to rectify this after I made the problem clear. Many intern workshops to help with personal development as well but most development and guidance is expected to come from your team or line manager. My manager was extremely supportive and concerned with my wellbeing as well as trying his best to develop my skills and experience, even after I told him I was not returning for the graduate placement.

My first month I literally had nothing to do. I had to move roles because of this. Afterwards I had a fair amount of responsibilities and roles but found myself quite bored a lot of the time. I think my manager had a lot more important things to deal with most of the time and my job kind of got forgotten. I know some of the other interns found themselves with a lot of time on their hands at some points and we're too busy to talk at other times so it varied quite a lot. Also my job didn't have a set of day to day duties or objectives, I was just put on a range of different projects with a range of tasks which is great for experience but not for settling into the role and knowing what to do.

I was part of a massive project to do with the building of new facilities and had some responsibilities in this project. There were a few other tasks I was involved in but I personally was not given a lot of responsibility, maybe I didn't push enough for this but I found myself in a very 'intern' role. I think the team was very busy during this time and my development was not a priority. I also didn't have a specific role with day to day duties which meant I didn't learn any one thing very well and didn't feel like I could take charge of one regular task and be responsible for it.

I'm hoping that just by having a year of experience will aid me in getting a good graduate placement. I've also had the opportunity to travel to Amsterdam with this placement which was a very good experience. I don't think I will use any of the technical knowledge (which isn't a lot) as it isn't very applicable to me and what I want to do with my future. Transferable skills have been picked up such as presenting, time management and networking which will be helpful when looking for a job after my studies. I won't be returning for a graduate placement here as I have decided this industry is not for me.

There are a range of offices, the one I was based in had a great atmosphere around my team and nearby areas, although the rest of the office was made up of a lot of contractors which meant that at times it was very empty. The facilities in this office were also not very good including toilets, canteen, air conditioning and more. The head office, I visited many times has a great atmosphere and facilities. The company culture is very casual and friendly which gives it a great atmosphere.

The induction lasted for 3 days at the beginning and this was very well planned. The first month of my placement was very poorly planned and I had nothing to do. After this, I was more involved in projects and learning but still didn't have a massive amount of structure. Halfway through I had some regular meetings but that's about it. Because I didn't have a specific role in my team, there wasn't a lot structure. The intern scheme contains a lot of workshops and visits to other departments which makes it a little better planned.

There were quite a few workshops focusing on transferable skills such as networking, presenting and personal development. Also there were a variety of visits to different departments to increase knowledge of the company. On the company Intranet there is plenty of opportunity for online courses for learning and development. During the induction there is a little bit of training and development.

Personally this is not something I am looking for as this placement has made me realise that this company and industry is not something that I want to go into. There is a good graduate scheme with a competitive salary. It involves 4, 6 month roles in a range of different areas.

I lived with other inters on the same scheme. When you join the company you join the Facebook group and meet other intern and grads. There is a graduate commity that put on a few events such as drinks and meals, mostly in Reading. Every few months there is an intern workshop which reunites all the interns across, HR, business, finance, engineering and analytics. This could be a chance to organise other get togethers. Every Friday there is a quiz sent out to grads and interns and a lot of socialising at lunch. There is a really good grad and intern culture which is one of the best things about this placement. The current interns and grads were very helpful and involved in the initial induction.

Cost of living is quite high compared to university, especially as it quite an affluent area in some of the local villages. Reading is cheaper and better for socialising although not brilliant. The nightlife is not cheap and is quite dull compared to university life. Not many clubs and overpriced drinks. Trains to London are pretty good and not long so that's one really good thing. There is a really good cinema in Winnersh which is cheap on a Monday.

Poor, really poor. I had higher expectations for a student town but the drinks are overpriced for the two clubs in town. Taxis are also not the cheapest.

A few events are put on throughout the year, both for normal colleagues and for the graduate and intern community. These include drinks, conferences, dinners and parties. There is a charity challenge to raise money which gets you involved in projects outside of normal work activities as well.