This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
I really enjoyed my Summer Internship at PwC, especially thanks to the incredibly warm welcome and care given to me by the company's staff. The internship provided interesting, and often hands-on opportunities to contribute and learn about the company's work. I built good working and social relationships with the teams around me, and also the other interns.
I felt extremely well valued by my colleague, who acted with nothing but total respect towards me, despite only being an intern. Colleagues were trusting and willing to give me responsibility to complete tasks by myself, but equally were supportive whenever I needed additional help. I felt that I had opportunity to make genuinely useful contributions that were appreciated by my colleagues.
My supervisors were always very proactive in ensuring that I felt supported and happy with how the Internship was progressing. An example being the almost-daily messages I received from either my Career Coach or Buddy whilst I was working away from the office on a project in London. My supervisors always provided me with the information I needed and often had discussions with me regarding my career and providing advice going forward.
How busy I was on a day-to-day basis varied quite a lot. For some weeks, I would be on a long-term project which contained a consistent flow of work and tasks at a steady pace, whilst other times I would jump onto a job or task that may only take a day or an afternoon. There were some empty days, due to the quiet time of year, but I always had personal development resources to take up in this time.
I feel that I was given genuine responsibility on several projects during the internship. Whilst there were occasional 'grunt-work' tasks, I was often given free-roam to experiment with the best way to approach a task. Importantly, whilst a certain quality was always expected, I was never made to feel pressured when I was given a particular responsibility.
I believe the internship gave me a really rare opportunity to develop skills that in the future will not only be helpful, but will help set me apart as an individual. For example, the internship provided the resources necessary for me to develop my use of software well beyond the level that I expected I would achieve.
The Company
Brilliant atmosphere mixing a hardworking ethos with a chance to be social and to get to know the rest of my department. Due to the floating nature of the desk arrangement, I was always easily able to choose my surroundings for the day based on whether I needed to get my head down by myself, or in communication with others.
The initial residential was not only interesting and insightful for the work, but provided a great starting base to build relationships ready for the office. Once at the office, we more often than not had projects that we could get involved in, or meetings we could attend. That being said, there were one too many days where our colleagues work was inaccessible for me to contribute as only an intern.
The firm allocated a lot of time, effort and resources in ensuring that we learned as much as possible from the internship. When not being mentored by a colleague directly, we had access to plenty of online resources and the freedom to pick and choose what we developed. The firm also provided opportunities to engage in larger events that provided good experience.
Sports and Social Club
National Travel
Company Parties/Events
From my internship I believe that I stand a better than average chance of receiving a Graduate Offer, upon finishing, which would kickstart my employment career. Once an employee, the company offers a strong process and lots of support developing individuals so that they can work their way up the hierarchy
The Culture
Despite being in a smaller office, with only 10 interns present, I felt that my social experience was much better than expected. Being only a small group we quickly developed good relationships, taking lunch with each other most days and often going to the pub on a friday evening. The divide between different departments did not stand in the way of building relationships with other interns.
I was very lucky that my internship took place in the town that I have always resided in. As a result, the experience remained close to costless for myself, as I was able to live at home and only had to take a quick bus to the office every day. In terms of socializing, Reading is cheaper than London and there is a large variety in terms of cost, so you can find cheaper places to socialize.
Whilst I wouldn't recommend Reading's nightlife in the context of wanting to go out several times a week, I does suffice for a Friday or Saturday night out. That being said, it is far less focused on clubbing, compared to London, and it's strength lies in a fairly large selection of pubs and bars for a reasonably small town centre.
Within my two weeks I had already represented the firm in an charity tag rugby tournament between several different companies in the Reading area. On a weekly basis I signed up to play 5-a-side football with a selection of younger employees and I even took part in a charity quiz, which the interns won.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
South East
August 2019