Intern Review

I really enjoyed my placement. It was fast paced and I was exposed to a range of tasks which gave me experience and enabled me to expand my knowledge of the company and of the industry, as well as being in contact with a variety of different people from various teams, both internally and externally.

For the most part I did feel valued by my colleagues. I often had the opportunity to offer help or advice to team members who were newer than I, which I enjoyed, and I often received thanks or one-on-one praise for completing tasks, both for my team and for other teams.

I received a lot of support from my supervisors/ management/ other team members, but was also afforded the opportunity to work independetly, which did improve my confidence and initiative. However, I do think that I would have benfitted from slightly more frequent, structured, training sessions, but I understand that as I joined during a particularly busy quarter it was not always possible to provide this.

It varied greatly - towards the end of my internship I had barely any linguist recruitment, and in the last month of my internship I only had two of my own projects. I was helping out on a large project for an important client, so the tasks I completed were all very similar. I would have perhaps preferred a bit more variation.

I feel that I was given lots of responsibility in this role - ranging from handling projects and deadlines of my own, to liaising with linguists and even some smaller corporate contacts. On at least three occasions I was left alone to work/handle a project consisting of around 30 smaller projects.

I do not intend to continue further education after this role, but I do feel that everything I have learned throughout my four months of being here will be greatly beneficial to me in the future, and will help me in my role as part of the translation service industry.

The job is fast paced and demanding - and the atmposphere reflects this. I think steps could be taken to try and create a more relaxed atmosphere, but I think this is underway as is evidenced by the introduction of more social events, which will help create bonds between teams members and create a more relaxed environment.

I think for the most part the internship was well set up, my only suggestion for improvement would be more regular catch ups with supervisors and/or mentors in order to gauge personal development, work on areas for improvement, and generally assess how the intern is progressing, and to check they feel supported and comfortable.

I was given a lot of responsibility which I appreciated, as it showed my colleagues had trust in me, and my colleagues invested time in me by taking the time to go through tasks with me.

There are more perks available at Project Executive level than which are available as an intern, which is appealing, as is the global reach of the company, and the opportunity for progression within the company. Furthermore, the company is expanding every day, with more and more opportunities for those involved.

Yes - I have made some good friends during my internship for which I am very grateful, and we socialise on a regular basis, which contributes to making work life more 'fun', and breaking up what would otherwise be very long working days. I am looking forward to creating even more friendships within the company.

Bermondsey is an 'up and coming area' and therefore, not especially cheap. Without Wetherspoons I am not sure socialising would be wholly feasible. As such, it would be nice of the company to encourage more team building excercises and events 'in house'. Travel and rent are also expensive - unfortunately, I feel that is unavoidable.

In a word -expensive.

There is lots to do in the surrounding area and in London as a whole, but not necesarily to do with work: at least, not unless it was organised amongst ourselves.