Vacation Scheme student Review

I enjoyed most days on the job, although some were boring as I was given very little to do. There was a good work life balance and I had the opportunity to socialise with the other interns and my fellow team members. It was different to what I expected, but was still good fun and it gave me a good insight into the role.

Most of the time I felt valued by my colleagues and I was able to chat to them about my life and my job aspirations. I felt like they didn't mind me asking questions if I was stuck, but sometimes I felt invisible and that they wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't there. On the whole I seemed to be a valuable colleague and was worthwhile.

I received lots of support from my supervisors whenever I needed help on a task I was struggling with. I got answers to all of the questions I asked, and everyone I spoke to was very knowledgeable about their chosen discipline. However, some of my supervisors were less approachable than others which made it hard.

It depended on the department I was in. Most of the time I had enough work to keep me occupied during the day, and sometimes I had too much, but there were also days that were boring because there was simply nothing for me to do. I think my managers / supervisors should have paid more attention to how quickly I was completing tasks and how I was getting on.

It depended on the department I was in. I felt like some of my supervisors didn't want to give me any responsibility so during these days all I had to do was listen to meetings which quickly became dull as I had no knowledge of the business so it became easy for my mind to wander. Other people were brilliant and trusted me so the work I was given was much more insightful and more enjoyable.

A few of my tasks involved writing reports and documents for clients which will assist me in my degree studies when I have to write my dissertation next year. I haven't written an essay since I did my GCSEs so it was nice to get an experience of that again and hopefully it will help me write with clarity and conviction.

The office is open plan with desks facing each other which meant that the office felt lively and it was easy to speak to others, but sometimes it was annoying when people would talk loudly on the phone all day. I felt very welcome and like I was a valuable team member.

It was pretty well organised as there was a timetable of which departments I would be going to and when which meant that I always knew what I was going to be doing on each day. However, there was a lack of structure in some of the departments I was in and it felt like not everyone had planned tasks for me to do beforehand.

I completed the online training and attended some training in the first few days of my internship which didn't prove to be useful on the job. I had regular meetings with my performance manager to discuss how my internship was going and any questions I had were answered by those in charge.

Future employment prospects are very appealing! There seems to be a good opportunity for progression if you work hard and know a lot about what you do. Once you qualify there is also an opportunity to move to wherever you want to and take secondments in different departments / countries. They are incredibly flexible.

There was a good social scene amongst both my colleagues and fellow internship students. There was a vacation social organised by student recruitment which was good fun and a good opportunity to get to know everyone, and I also went on a few department socials which provided me with a good opportunity to get to know my colleagues.

I lived at home during my internship, but the cost of living is pretty average in the city centre. Socialising was quite expensive as I went to more upmarket restaurants / bars than I would have done with my friends - there are plenty of places that are affordable if you know where to look.

University city so probably has a good social scene if you wanted it.

For me there weren't many opportunities to get involved in out of work activities. As a grad / permanent worker there is a chance to get involved with volunteering and other outreach activities, but I wasn't given this chance. There were lots of socials and events to go to which was nice.