7.5/10
Socialising
Very much so.
Because the work I did during my placement was needed by various teams, I did feel valued especially when a colleague refers to me for a specific field.
My managers were very helpful even given the limited time they had.
There were some days when projects were due that working hours extended quite a bit but most days follow the standard 9/5.
Incrementally more as time went on and my line manager was confident that I could handle a project or problem independently
This placement has taught me a lot of practical skills. I could only develop the skills that I read from books and apply the knowledge I learned in University when given a real world scenario to do so which happened here.
Sometimes quiet and sometimes fun. During some days, it would get stressful depending on the context of the month/quarter.
It was organised for the first few months and then mostly, the onus fell on myself to develop my understanding of the business and projects.
Specific skills wise, the company had to invest in our understanding of GDPR and anti-competitive laws (for laymen). Other soft skills were taught to me by my mentor and learned directly from books and in practice.
There is a grad scheme and I've seen previous placement interns coming back to the company being put on it.
Yes, the interns were very close as there were over 25 of us. The line managers and graduates often socialised with us. Some of us placement interns still kept in contact.
In Rickmansworth/Watford, I believe the rent is relatively cheap even while we are still technically in London.
It was alright.
We had a sports and social club which always organised events such as nights out and rounders.