Expansion Intern Review

The year itself was fantastic and significantly advanced my personal and professional development. Expansion is a massively exciting project and the exposure the placement year offered was exceptional. It is certainly true that you get as much out of the year as you put into it and my team was entirely supportive in everything I did.

I felt valued by my colleagues at all stages of the placement year. My team was quick to provide me with work that was both interesting and significant. My level of responsibility quickly increased over the year as the team gained faith in my ability as a member of it rather than just an intern.

The support I received from my line manager and mentor was excellent both in terms of professional and personal, I would consider both friends going forward. In terms of guidance the same is true - all management are genuinely interested in ensuring you get as much out of the year as possible.

Typically very busy which reflected the responsibility I was given by my team and their trust in the work I produced. As the programme went through different milestones the workload did necessitate working beyond typical hours at times however I never felt that I wouldn't have been able to push back if I felt it was needed.

As mentioned the level of responsibility I was given increased quite quickly over the year as the team grew confident in my ability. After taking a couple of weeks to get to grips with the basics of the programme, I quickly built up my own workload and never found myself feeling unwanted/unneeded.

With regards to professional development the skills I have gained over the year will prove invaluable both in my academic studies and future career (incl. time management, organisation, etc). In addition, there are a plethora of training courses both online and in dedicated sessions which are certainly worth attending when you get the time.

The atmosphere changed over time however was always positive and engaging. The pace of the programme at times felt breakneck, however there was never a moment where it felt impossibly difficult. In addition, at busier times during the year when working beyond hours was common it was always a team effort - very rarely would one single person be left behind to work late.

The recruitment and on-boarding process was extremely efficient, with the exception of the referencing process which takes an age (though this is not the fault of People team, it's just a long and bureaucratic process). Within the Expansion department itself there was always support from my manager, team and the dedicated Expansion People team (who also brought in a business partner responsible for graduates and interns in the department).

As mentioned previously there were many training courses made available which were all facilitated by external agencies which specialised in the respective field. Expenses for travel and equipment (e.g. PPE for site visits) were never a problem as long as they were within reason. A significant amount is spent on wellbeing in the Expansion department, reflected by overnight stays for summer/winter away days and many town halls/events.

Future employment prospects are very appealing within the Expansion department and there are always people being brought in as the programme continues to power on. The range of teams and roles within the Expansion department means that there will always be something which appeals and Heathrow is exceptionally good at promoting horizontal career movement should you wish to transfer into another area of the business.

Ultimately the social scene at Heathrow is somewhat limited by the fact that you aren't in central London and therefore most people do drive to work. That being said there were a decent number of social events for the department as a whole and the interns had a good social scene initially.

I can't comment on the cost of living as I lived at home, however the cost of socialising is no different to London. The only exception to this is in the terminals where you can get a staff discount at certain landside pubs - a good way of seeing off a long week.

No nightlife at all around Heathrow given that it's an airport. 15 minutes on the Heathrow Express into Paddington and you've got all of London though this of course comes coupled with the cost. There are however plenty of good bars/pubs around Paddington which we would visit at the end of most weeks.

There were plenty of sports-related activities on offer outside of work, from British Military fitness in the car park to 5 a side 3 times a week. In addition there's a gym in the office and plenty of community and social activities organised by the Expansion department across the year.