Engineering Intern Review

I very much enjoyed the job; the tasks assigned to me were challenging and the people I worked with were very nice and approachable if I needed help with any of the tasks I was working on. The flexible hours were a great positive to, as well as having Friday afternoons off!

Given my lack of prior experience in software and that I was on a software internship, the tasks I was assigned were more of the odds and ends that needed doing nature, but they were still well received when completed, and were posed at a good level for me. Colleagues were keen to learn from me and use new ideas.

Any time I needed any help or support, my manager would work through whatever problem I had with me. Excellent support with a lot of knowledgeable people to try to provide an answer to any question I had. Combination of support from line manager, team leader and the graduates on my team allowed me to ask as many 'stupid' questions as I needed to. Also assigned a graduate 'buddy' within of my development team, who was able to answer any day-to-day questions and provide general guidance.

As with any development team there were quieter weeks, however, we were allowed to use this time to try out new ideas and prototypes or develop tools to automate the more tedious tasks. At the start of the internship there was not much to do, and it took about a week to start in earnest. There were times with a lot of work and times with not so much, but it general it was a good level of work.

Great balance between being given responsibility and having the people around me to ask for help when required. I was given exactly the same sort of tasks as the graduate members of my development team. An approachable atmosphere within the team meant that someone was always on hand if I felt out of my depth to guide me through the next step.

Invaluable experience gained in working life, software engineering and general approach to solving real-world problems rather than a text-book exercise. I also went on a professional training course for one of the languages/frameworks we developed using. As part of the tasks I was assigned, I had to teach myself a lot of new skills in a short time frame, but that meant I learned an awful lot during the internship, and having a task to complete motivated me far more than learning for learnings sake.

Development team made up of a good mix of graduates and more experienced developers meant a great atmosphere within the team with everyone able to have a laugh. Everyone within the office was friendly and keen to say hello. There was a good work mentality, and the office was productive, yet everyone was nice and friendly. A lot of the fun came from us interns and grads making it fun, yet I had a good time and made seom good friends there.

When I first started there was not a huge amount to do and I had to be found a desk and a computer, yet the application process was good and they were flexible with my starting date if necessary. Placement was well organised from the quick processing of first/second round interviews to my first day and discussing potential career opportunities at the end of my placement.

There was not a huge amount of training; the stuff I learned myself as I needed it for a task I was assigned, but they were interested in intern development and had a good graduate development programme. Went on a professional training course for the language/framework we were using. Team leader was more than happy to invest in relevant books if they were needed, plus on-the-job guidance and explanations from colleagues.

They said they would like me back. I was not offered a job outright, but if I apply for a graduate job they will put in a good recommendation for me, and it seems very likely I will be offered a job if I apply. However I feel I've learned enough about the company and where I could fit in with the chance of employment in the future.

The other interns were nice people, and the graduates included us and they had quite a lot of activities planned. They were all really nice people, yet I didn't see them outside of work, but that was mainly due to me being very busy. Plenty of opportunities to socialise from trips to the pub on a Friday lunchtime to nights out with the other graduates.

I was living with my parents and commuting around 45 minutes each way to the internship, so I didn't really experience cost of living in the area, but from what I heard it was quite good and there was subsidised food at the work site. It's pretty standard I guess. I have little to compare with since I worked in the same city I live.

I did not experience this as I was living with my parents and commuting around 45 minutes each way to the internship, so I didn't really experience it. I did not hear either good or bad reports of it from my colleagues. However With Manchester only ten minutes away there's pretty much everything you could want close-by.

Highlight was probably the go-karting trip organised by one of the graduates with about 40 people from the office getting involved. There were many things organised and I received information about these via e-mail. I felt most of these might be for full-time employees and was not so keen to find out more myself.