Software Engineer Intern Review

by Metaswitch Networks

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.2/5
  • The Role
    3.5
  • The Company
    3.6
  • The Culture
    2.1

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I reasonably enjoyed it. The work atmosphere was good and the project I worked on allowed me to take responsibility and develop it further. Where I was living was central enough that there were things to do (a gym nearby and park to go running) and other interns to socialise with.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • I felt reasonably valued. There were around 30 other interns at the same company over the summer who I socialised with and got to know quite well. In the team I worked in I was invited to their team drinks and their biweekly (once a fortnight) pub lunches so they were very welcoming.

    4/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • A good level of support. There were weekly status meetings with my manager and monthly development chats with my mentor. Both were experienced in having interns and dealt well with me. This allowed me to focus on my goals whilst also producing useful work to the company which I enjoyed a lot.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • Some days were brick walls, others (towards the end) I wasn't given enough to do. However for the majority of the internship I had the right amount of work to do. I was usually given several tasks to do in a given week and expected to do them by the end of the week.

    3/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • The project I was given was entirely my own; however there was significant input from my manager and mentor into it.

    4/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • They won't particularly assist my studies. However I think a lot of the skills I developed here will be useful in my career.

    3/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • Friendly, weekly organised sport made it better. People were still focused on working though of course. Also there was free coffee and free fruit every day. This made breaks from work more enjoyable and allowed more concentration to be gained if hunger or distraction were the causes of loss of productivity.

    4/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • Very well organised. The company own several company houses in the area where they put up interns over the summer for reasonably low price. They take on over 30 interns each year in Enfield and as such are very used to having them around. They seem to always provide good and relevant project to their interns.

    4/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • A good level of investment. There were weekly status meetings with my manager and monthly development chats with my mentor. Both were experienced in having interns and dealt well with me. This allowed me to focus on my goals whilst also producing useful work to the company which I enjoyed a lot.

    4/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Flexi Time

    Subsidised Canteen

    Sports and Social Club

    Financial Bonus

    Company Parties/Events

    4/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • 3/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • Yes, the interns were a social bunch. Also you get to know other young employees there through the sports clubs if you participate. One evening I went to the rugby social with some other interns and that was quite fun. We played some rugby in the park after work and then had a barbecue.

    3/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • Enfield is reasonably expensive as it's the suburbs of London. All the shops sold everything at slightly marked up prices compared to everywhere else I've lived in the country because of this. This meant I ended up relying on the reduced section of the shops nearby, which can work out to be cheap!

    2/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • Terrible. We went to a club one night and it was bad. It was free entry but even then I thought it wasn't good value for money. The bouncers were rude and the club was tiny. To have a better clubbing experience you'd have to travel further into London but we just wanted a night out in Enfield.

    1/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • There were competitions and sports clubs. They were all very keen for anyone, interns included, to get involved in the games and competitions. Some were on a computer, some in reality, the games included Geoguessr, online flash games, van pull, Ultimate frisbee, football, rugby, basketball and dodgeball. It was all good fun.

    4/5

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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

London

October 2018


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