Cybersecurity Specialist Intern Review

The placement was very enjoyable. My colleagues were on the whole welcoming and considerate, the training provided was excellent, and I had the opportunity to meet and socialise with a large number of other interns, apprentices and graduates. A downside would be that the work was not the most interesting and did not seem particularly important, but from talking with other interns this seemed to vary depending on what team you were assigned to. Had I had the choice I don’t think I would have chosen the team I was in had I been able to choose. Other interns in other departments were given a choice of placement areas, and received written project proposals from different teams so they knew what sort of work they’d be doing in advance. I did however raise this at my review, and the placement managers were very receptive and suggested that this may be introduced more consistently in future years.

Not always. Although the company is incredibly supportive, the extent to which interns are valued within individual teams varied massively and I personally didn’t always feel valued by my team. Outside of my team however, many people who I approached for meetings – even non-work related meetings just to discuss their roles and what their departments do - were incredibly supportive and offered their time willingly, even very busy people and important managers. On the whole there was a very positive attitude in most other areas and interns are generally valued.

Because my team was based in different offices and worked on different projects across the business, I didn’t see a lot of most of them. My day-to-day manager was quite busy and it was hard to get time to talk to him, although when I did he was usually supportive. The support from higher up - i.e. the intern programme managers was excellent however. The best support I found was from other interns and graduates – the number that exist across the business and the amount of socialising that goes on between them means that it’s easy to find out what’s going on in other departments and who to talk to for certain tasks.

The amount of work fluctuated a fair bit – because my manager and other team members were quite busy and hard to get hold of I would often finish a piece of work and have a lot of time before I could get feedback or start something new. That said, I could usually found something to occupy myself such as helping other interns with their work or working on material for my performance reviews.

A downside of the placement was that I didn’t get that much exposure to the team’s actual work. I did sometimes feel like I was doing “intern work” and would have liked a greater exposure to their actual day to day work. This is something that I noticed varied greatly between different interns in different teams and depends on your manager’s approach. Most of my work was in supporting the team administratively, for example the move to a new software package and associated training. I feel like the team didn’t have a particular project in mind for me and sometimes offloaded stuff that they didn’t want to do. I was however given a lot of responsibility and independence within this work.

A lot of the training was not role specific and focussed on general workplace skills, such as giving presentations, improving confidence, or dealing with difficult situations. Whilst not specific to my degree area it is definitely very useful stuff for most students who have not had a formal office job before, and is the sort of thing that will be usefully regardless of the field I enter and the company I work for.

I was based in a smaller temporary office a mile or so down the road from the main HQ. It was much smaller than the head office and felt a lot more laid-back, but does feel a bit isolated from the rest of the company and limits networking opportunity, especially with a department such as IT which is often viewed as being a bit detached in any company. Everyone was however very friendly and clearly used to having interns around so treated us as colleagues. Across all the offices I visited the atmosphere was quite relaxed - managers generally don’t mind what time you enter or leave work (within reason!) as long as you’re there for meetings and get the work done. Dress code is more relaxed than a lot of companies - most guys generally don’t wear ties or jackets, and on Fridays most people work from home or come in dressed casually. Hot desking policy meant you could meet new people every day.

The placement was very well organised. As well as my manager for my day to day work, there was a Business Coordinator responsible for overseeing all the interns within the department, and a member of HR staff overseeing all of the student programmes, training and reviews. I was informed at the very start of the programme when my reviews and training days would be for the entirety of the placement. There were two performance reviews, one mid-way through and one at the end of the placement. These were very thorough (they assess not just your objectives but also your personal development and commitment to the company’s values) but did feel constructive, rather than as if they were trying to catch you out.

There was a significant training element to the programme. The first week is spent at a training centre with the company providing accommodation and food, and towards the end of the programme you return for another two days’ training. There were many other opportunities for networking. Performance reviews placed a high emphasis your personal development goals and alignment to company values, as well as the actual work delivered. I was very impressed by the extent to which the company invests in its interns.

Very. The graduate scheme is reasonably well paid with start/finish bonuses and relocation assistance. Additionally, the workplace culture is very positive and the company seems to place a high emphasis on work-life balance. Even though I didn’t have the best experience within my team and I don’t think I would want to go into that specific area, I would definitely consider returning because the structure of the graduate scheme allows you to move between different teams and experience different business areas, and the company clearly values its employees.

There was a very good social scene due to the number of students on internships and industrial placements. This year students from all of the different placement schemes were brought together for the same training week for the first time – this was a fantastic experience and meant we stayed a close group for the duration of the internship and I am still in touch with many people in different areas and at different universities.

Most students live in Leamington rather than Warwick due to a greater availability and affordability of housing, and more stuff to do. Leamington is a nice place to live but a bit pricey on a student budget especially if you’re used to university in the North – expect to be paying £4+ for a pint. This is not prohibitive however since the placement was well paid.

Since many students from Warwick university live in Leamington Spa there are a decent number of good bars and clubs. If you’re used to a larger city then Coventry is not too far away for a good night out, although I didn’t make it that far in my 12 weeks.

Yes – colleagues on the graduate scheme ran basketball and netball every week (and there are probably other sports I don’t know about), which were well attended and interns and IPs were welcome to join. Although I didn’t join in my 12 weeks I know people who did and enjoyed it.