Intern Review

My placement was both enjoyable and productive. I was given actual work to do from the first day and found it really interesting. Because of this I greatly enjoyed my time working at Siemens as I felt like i was contributing and because I was given engaging tasks to do.

I was given a warm welcome from the first say when I was given a tour of the office and introduced to everyone who worked there, which helped me quickly get to know everyone. I was always able to ask for help or to have something explained to me if I needed it and I felt I was treated as a part of the team.

My supervisors would check in on my progress regularly to see how I was doing and provide me with constructive feedback and advice for any problem that I was currently facing. I was also seated near to them and could go to them for support at any point if I needed it.

I was given a reasonable amount of work to do. It was a great balance of being a challenge to complete but not so much that it felt overwhelming or that I couldn't get it done before I finished my internship. I was busy enough that I was never bored but I was never worried about falling behind on work

I was told to develop a piece of software for internal use at the company. I was given an overview of what the tool should do but was given total freedom about the specifics and how it was implemented. I would get regular feedback on what they liked and disliked but I had the responsibility of choosing how to implement and what to implement first

The internship gave me valuable experience of what a work place is actually like and the compromises that must sometimes be made when developing a piece of software. It helped me learn how to manage a large project and how to keep myself on track and prioritize how I do things. It also gave me the opportunity to attempt to build a whole tool from start to finish and polish my programming skills, as well as to learn more about certain areas of programming I previously didn't know about

The atmosphere was very warm and friendly. My colleagues were very talkative and helped me to settle in, as well as help with any problems I might have. I felt like I could go to anyone for help if I needed it at all. This helped me quickly settle in and feel welcomed

Overall, I feel that the internship was very well organised and set up. I was given my pass to access the doors on my first day and set up at my desk with minimal waiting around, although it did take most of the day to get me a laptop set up. I was given work to do from the start and it felt like everything was well prepared. However, the email confirming what time I should arrive on my first day came quite close to my start date

During my internship at the company, I felt like I was invested in despite only being there for three months. I was able to do all of the required training courses that full time employees did, and i was also able to take part in the course for new employees to the company, however some of these courses felt a bit lacking in content and I felt they didn't provide me with much personal development

Future employment at the company is personally very appealing to me after my internship. I feel like I was able to both contribute and learn a lot during my time there and that if I was to return full time, I would have a great many opportunities available to me. During my induction training, I had some of the possibilities of career advancement explained to me and they seemed very appealing

There was a very good social scene. During my time there I was invited to several group nights out, even from my first week. There were also leaving drinks for any colleagues who left. All of this helped me quickly get to know the people I was working with and have a great time during my placement

There were not that many opportunities to get involved in things outside work, however the company did have initiatives like cycling to work that I could get involved in. Apart from this, the number of opportunities that I was told about for activities outside of work was fairly limited and I wish there was a greater variety of activities