Finance Industrial Placement Student Review

The area in which I was working was very different to anything I have studied or knew about before coming here so it was interesting to learn about something completely new but was less interesting towards the end as tasks were very much the same level from start to end. There are opportunities to socialise with my team and IPs, visit sites and also do volunteering for example which are definitely worth getting involved with. Everyone is very friendly so there was a good atmosphere in the office and I could go to colleagues for help which made the transition to work really easy. My experience would have been better if it was more related to my degree and also had more structure.

My colleagues were very helpful and patient when handing over tasks to me but there was an obvious divide as I was given the least responsibilities in the team and they were not that keen to hand over some tasks which I could have been responsible for. They were very happy with any work I could help them with and were understanding if anything went wrong.

There was no set structure to my placement but I had fortnightly meetings with my manager to discuss what tasks I had done and what tasks I could do in the future. My manager was very busy with other work and she would only check in briefly on occasion but otherwise I was on my own. I wasn't given much feedback on my performance other than in a meeting with my manager and a visiting tutor from my university half way through my placement.

I went between periods of being bored and there being a lack of work to being really busy on one or two projects. This was mainly due to a lack of structure in my placement and being handed tasks on an adhoc basis which were usually the manual/admin taskss that the other members of my team did not have time for.

I was given a lot of guidance and would work alone on a few tasks and trusted to complete them on my own. I did not have a lot of regular tasks to take care of and meant that at points I was struggling to find things to do. Sometimes I would ask for more work but suggested work would fall through, passed onto someone else or would only keep me busy for a day.

I have worked on my analytical and Excel skills which are useful for my course and future career. Also being in a professional environment there has been opportunities to meet people and network. Also, I have become more confident on working independently and gained some confidence. The area I work in isn't actually related to my degree so I don't think the actual content will be helpful, more so the soft skills I picked up.

The office is very friendly and everyone made me feel welcomed. People are hard working but not too serious so you can have laugh sometimes and as the office is open plan you can easily interact with colleagues. There is a mix of older and younger people but the majority of people are older meaning they are more family orientated, so there was not a lot of socialising outside occasions such as Christmas, leaving drinks etc.

I was involved in some important projects but I did not feel like I had enough work to justify a full time role. There could have been more opportunities to stretch myself but I was still given clear tasks to do and could see how they were valuable to the business but did not make a massive difference to the work my colleagues were undertaking. When work that my team felt I was capable of doing came up they were good at taking me through all the steps before I was left responsible to do the task on my own.

Development is quite important to the company for full time employees but for myself there was not that much focus as I was doing the same sort of tasks all through the year. It is mainly up to the student and their manager so there could have been opportunities if I pushed for it. My manager was always happy for me to get involved in opportunities outside of my role like volunteering which helped with development in other ways.

There is the chance to apply for the Future Leaders Programme which is very competitive but gives you a chance to rotate and experience different parts of the business as the company is very big and varied. You are given the option to apply and get recommended by your manager to skip to the second stage of the application process but you are not given any sort of preference over external applicants. Some people do apply through direct entry to come back to the company but that is rare.

There are a few events organised for placement students by IPUnite such as socials at a bar, the summer boat party and winter ball. There are also other opportunities to meet people and for those moving to London they will be connected with others to find accommodation so you are not alone. As someone who lived at home with my family for the year I was less involved with socialising with IPs outside my area of work. I mainly made friends in my department and there were IPs also working in my area so I became friends with them, aswell as the previous students who handed over to us. There were many different social events with my team such as going for drinks or dinner, so I was able to get to know quite a few of my colleagues.

I was living at home and commuted to work but obviously being in London the rent wasn't cheap for friends who were living closer by but I assume as the area is in Greater London it would be lower than living close to Central London. There are also good connections to transport so you have the option to live in a cheaper area. Going out to socialise in London can be expensive but at some events your transport or drinks/food can be expensed by the company and also there is a slight discount on drinks at the local pub for GSK employees aswell as free entry to Kew Gardens.

I would not advise anyone to come to this area for a night out as there would not be many good options but you're 30 mins away from Central London on the tube so you are well connected to a range of different clubs and bars. Some of these are organised by the other IPs so you can go out and meet people.

There is loads to get involved with if you like, there is the opportunity for placement students to become ambassadors for their site, fundraise for Save the Children and volunteer at a residential Over the Wall kids camp with other IPs. There are also networking events, a public speaking group called ToastMasters and the Women Leadership Initiative.