IT Intern Review

My work placements had a lot to offer because there was administration tasks included (setting up different devices, such as the meeting room Evoko's, setting up PC and ensuring all network connectivity is working, etc) and also some of the software developer tasks such as programming in different variety of languages like; Python, Go, C#

I was located in the office with my Manager and colleagues and it was a friendly environment because it was not necessary really strict and formal but rather a nice place to work. We occasionally went out for meals together and talk about day-to-day stuff. It really feels like I am part of the team.

When I first joined the company, there was another intern finishing so I could learn a lot about what she was doing and how she tackled different issues. Once she has finished her internship, I could ask my Manager about anything I was not really sure about. Most of it is just independent work and you are expected to do your research just like at University but if you are really struggling you can simply ask :)

It mostly depend on what type of work you have been assigned to work with. Let's say you have started to work as part of a bigger team that are working on different services, to develop this service there is a lot of testing to ensure everything is working so you might even spend few weeks working on this. This part is only of the software development because I had also administration tasks to take care of so it was necessary to prioritise work effectively.

You have access to most of the important data in the building that people around the world connect to, so you have to make sure you follow any rules specified by the company. Even when you are moving a PC from one place to another, you have to ask yourself if it's okay because the PC itself could be doing something important in the background. It's all about familiarising yourself with the surroundings and adapting as necessary

I have learned how it is to work for a big organisation. This is a big plus because now I can utilise some of the stuff I did for the University or even in the long-term future because working for different company will not have much difference in terms of how everything is structured. For example, in order for people to work on the code together, a version control system could be utilised such as Git.

My office has had great atmosphere, it is quiet so not one disturbs you and you can focus on the work. There is all necessary equipment we need for work and it is also being visited by a lot of people throughout the day as they might need technical assistance.

I have been given a lot of information about how everything works around the building so I was feeling prepared for everything. Especially the induction and intern shadowing part. I know that I could not remember everything in one go but even so, after a while I got used to the work I was doing

There was a Hackathon event that was taking place in the building in where all the interns could participate and compete with each other. Another thing is the Intern's Day, which is annual meeting in where all the interns from across UK meet in one place and make connections. Plus all the software licenses required for me to do proper work as well as the IT equipment, it all costs the company so they have to invest a lot of money

During the Intern's Day we have gained an insight of what is the future for us as an interns. Apparently there is a broad range of choices for us and we can go wherever we want to. Be it working in a field or simply doing some programming in the office.

The work environment is not really strict or anything. It is easy to socialise with colleagues and if you want to go out with someone you can just ask them out. Usually I went out with my manager and the other colleague for some lunch and sometimes at the end of the internship, we (as an interns) have decided to go out and have fun.

I was living near Oxford so it was cheap to take a train and go out for the weekend. Especially it was not hard for me since I have meet my flat mates who are pretty sociable. Oxford itself can be expensive, however the area I am located in was fairly decent, even though it was more like a village rather than proper town.

Again, there is no nightlife in the area I am living. You usually either go to London or Oxford if you are going out. That means there is a good selection of what you want to do with you free time and you are not limited to one bar every other night

It depends on what the person is interest in and since it states 'outside of work'. I guess we can take as an example just participating in a sports activity. There is a facility nearby that you can go to if you want to play tennis, basketball, badminton or anything else that you enjoy