Finance Analyst Review

My work placement at GSK was very enjoyable. All of my colleagues were incredibly nice people and great to work with. There were always plenty of things to get involved with alongside the busy work schedule. Charity work is something I was particularly involved in which was both enjoyable and rewarding. The social element of work at GSK was excellent, with many opportunities to meet new people and do things outside of work such as playing sport and going out. There is also a large sense of community among Placement Students as there are so many at GSK. The only slight drawback would be the location of my placement which was GSK house in Brentford, as being slightly closer to central London would have been ideal.

After the first couple of months on placement and learning about how to work best in my role, I was able to work towards becoming a key member of the team. By putting in the effort I was given the opportunity to progress and gain trust amongst my colleagues. This allowed me to feel fully valued in my team and made doing the work more worthwhile.

There was lots of support available from various colleagues. However, in my particular experience I had 3 changes in manager throughout my year and a long period without any manager at all. This was very particular to my circumstance and I know other placement students did not have the same experience. If I had pushed more and looked for more support I would have easily found it, as I did towards the end of my year.

For the most part I was always busy during my placement, and even when I did not have much on my plate It was always easy to look for further work beyond my role. I never felt like I was there for no reason, always having a purpose and something to do that will have an impact.

I was given a great amount of responsibility during my placement that grew after the first few months of gaining trust and proving my ability. This was a similar experience among other placement students I worked with. Where I was able to prove myself, I was given more work and responsibility. Placement Students at GSK were often given the opportunity to present and work alongside directors and other colleagues that were high up in the business.

I learned a vast array of transferrable skills from my placement year at GSK. I feel as though my placement has developed many skills which I can transfer to both my university life and future career progression. This will allow me to work better and be more efficient at university during my final year. I will also feel a lot more confident when looking for graduate programmes because of the skills I have learned, and the experience gained on this placement.

My particular floor of the office was very lively, there was always something going on. There was a social committee that organised social events outside and during work. Everyone in the office knew when to be serious and concentrated on work but also knew that It should not always be taken so seriously.

My placement could have been organised better. When applying to roles at GSK you cannot apply to anything specific, only a general working function/area and then you were assigned a role within that if successful. There could have also been more support/organisation during the placement to make sure it was going well and to help with things like getting paid and taking holiday etc.

There were opportunities to attend internal training courses and a select few external training courses. These were always insightful and helpful throughout the year and there was a lot of online training at the start of the year to get me up to speed. However, I felt as though they could have done more to invest in my development. Placement Students at GSK can have the opportunity to be "fast tracked" onto a graduate programme in GSK - but there was not that much of an advantage over external applicants.

Placement Students at GSK can get fast tracked through the graduate scheme process if sleeted. There were also a couple of different schemes on offer which was good. All of the other placement students I knew applied to the schemes and they are very competitive. The placement does give you a great way to make some very valuable contacts who could be useful outside the scope of graduate schemes.

As GSK is a huge employer of Industrial Placement Students there was a great community of students. There were officers/leads appointed in charge of each cohort of students that ensured there were large social events to go to such as a boat party and Christmas party. There was also a good social scene among other students that I worked directly with, and it was easy to make friends with others in similar situations.

My placement was based in GSK house Brentford. This area is considered greater London as it is about a 30 min tube from central London. This makes the cost of living and socialising cheaper than central London, but it is still London so it was not exceptionally cheap. There were many options of places to live which meant that you could look round for an acceptable price bracket for you.

Nightlife in Brentford near GSK house is not the best nightlife you will find in London, but it can still be really enjoyable. The Piccadilly line is also near the office which means it is easy to get a train into central London. In roughly 30mins you can reach anywhere in central which allows for many more opportunities beyond the local area.

Being at the GSK headquarters, there is a diverse range of people who have a long list of hobbies. This means it was easy to find people who enjoyed similar things and get involved in activities outside of work. In particular, there were many different sports teams to join. For example, I played football every week after work with colleagues which was great fun and a good way to meet new people.