Learning Consultant Review

I throughly enjoyed my placement year at IBM. I felt extremely welcome and part of the team from day one, with my task manager helping me in any way she could, she was integral to the success of my placement. We worked in a great office in a fantastic, central location in London meaning there was lots of post-work activities we could enjoy easily too.

The people I worked with are the reason I am re-applying to work here. They are friendly, honest and a good laugh. I never felt like 'the intern' and everyone made sure I was never treated as such. I was given tasks that graduates complete and often worked with many grads doing similar roles.

I had a global management team which gave me a wide variety of experience. Even when it was difficult to contact part of the team if they were away on business, there was always someone to speak to in the office. Having an Early Professional Manager was crucial through the early months as they were able to answer any questions I had about the placement and would always go above and beyond, thank you Helen!

I was very satisfied with my work life balance during my placement year. If I ever felt I did not have enough work to do there was always an opportunity to find more. I am very independant and I was allowed the freedom to assess my schedule and ensure I was always balanced in my time.

I was given a lot of freedom in my work and this allowed me to express myself and be creative in the work I do. I would frequently build web pages from scratch and with review publish them to our UK wide team. I was never referred to as the intern and I was often a point of contact for any new members joining our team as I met so many people during my year.

The skills I have developed will be invaluable throughout the rest of my career. This was my first job in a large company and the training I was recommended and the badges I completed will help me with whatever career path I choose. Getting real business experience will help me apply the learning I do at university and thrive in future lectures.

Very positive. We had a large team of graduates that I became close friends with quickly and they helped me settle in. But I also felt very welcomed and appreciated by our management team. The office space seems modern in comparison to others and there was frequently fun activities to do around the canteen and client centre area such as a Formula One simulator!

From a foundation point of view, it was impeccable. We had an excellent 2 day induction in the Warwick office where over 30 of us became great friends and we learnt a lot of information quickly to start of us right. Upon joining, I was doing a role that had not been done before so I could express myself and show my worth with ease.

Very much so. There is a recommended 40 hours of learning to complete every year on Your Learning which I quickly surpassed in my 6 months. There are coaching sessions offered that were really personal and I could really invest myself in these sessions. Badges were created specifically for interns to complete and these gave a great overview of what IBM is all about.

Very. There is a dedicated program for people on internships to 'fast-track' through the graduate program which is really helpful. I have met many graduates that completed internship which is promising. If you have had a successful year, apply yourself and want to get a job there after you graduate, there is a great chance you can do so.

There was a huge group of us interns that all worked in London and we would always meet up for drinks or lunch. When we started, the World Cup was on TV so we always went for drinks after work to watch the football which was ideal. Lots of people lived in and around London too so it was great to visit different areas.

Living in London has been very expensive but that was expected. It is rare to find a pint under £5 unless you go to the local bar where they offer IBM discount which is fair. There were not many student offers or nights that we could take advantage of, but again, it's central London so this is the normal.

In the summer the local bar, the Understudy is perfect. There is tons of seating outside in the sun and it was a easy place to find your colleagues as you could guarantee somebody would be sat there just after 5pm on a sunny day. Clubs are expensive but they are good!

There are many sports clubs run within IBM which is great, but not too much from an outside of work point of view. There are tons of work related activities and because of the size and scope of IBM these can often be very fun to get involved in and meet some new people too.