Summer Intern Review

by Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl)

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.5/5
  • The Role
    3.9
  • The Company
    3.7
  • The Culture
    2.6

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • 9/10 - The work provided had purpose and meaning which fed directly into the output of the team I was working within. This made the internship far more exciting than other employers whereby students merely 'experienced' the company rather than contribute to a work output. In addition, the work provided was varied and was quite well aligned with what I wanted to learn/gain and the organisations needs.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • 8/10 - Most of the projects I was deemed a really useful, helpful and in some cases informative in providing a new perspective on the situation. This enabled for a comfortable working environment, under no pressure to 'find friends' as there was always someone I could talk to, even just for a quick 'rooky' question.

    4/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • 8/10 - Different project leads offered different levels of support and guidance. Some lots, and some very little. This resulted in differing levels of understanding in what my deliverable was to be. Despite this, my direct line manager was brilliant in supporting me throughout the entire internship and was always keen to make sure I wasn't stressed, the work was interesting, and I was enjoying my time.

    4/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • 8/10 - Early on was slightly boring. This was due to the nature of the work and having to complete mandatory training. I was also required to complete a variety reading materials in order to get up to speed with the work requirements. However, this quickly changed and I was soon able to effectively contribute to the team outputs and may days were busy enough to pass quickly, but not so much that I was stressed out. The flexi hours meant I often took Fridays off.

    4/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • 9/10 - All my projects contributed to team outputs. All of the work completed fed directly to what was required of the team research/work requirements/customer needs. I was informing, researching and producing material which was of direct relevance to the organisations main aim and purpose. This was the case in more subjects than others but nevertheless, the work was real work!

    5/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • The skills I learnt were critical in my wider professional development. University writing style is not used in the more normal workplace and learning how to write in more business text was a great skill to learn. Also learning how to use a variety of different (non)-specialist programmes, such as Outlook were really useful. Learning how to organise meetings and what makes an effective meeting in addition to other soft skills were really useful.

    3/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • 7/10 - Generally really happy, productive, not to quiet/noisy and people were always happy to help out. There were often little office mini parties to celebrate a birthday or similar thing which the office feel really quite homely. Sometimes, the office was dead quiet which made for boring days, but this was a rarity.

    4/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • 9/10 - Upon arrival at the organisation, some projects were still being organised which meant some days I had very little work to be doing and became quite bored. Although this was only very early on, it was frustrating given I had a number of months prior to starting in which this could have been organised.

    5/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • 6/10 - I was required to complete mandatory employer training, some of which was specialist to the organisation. I also learnt some new software packages. However, in terms of direct investment in my personnel development, unless I had sought to gain further soft skills, little 'additional' information / skills would have been gained.

    3/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Flexi Time

    Subsidised Canteen

    Sports and Social Club

    Company Car

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    National Travel

    International Travel

    Company Parties/Events

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    Working from home

    3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • 10/10 - I was offered a job within a different team on completion of my internship. I was also offered sponsorship for a MRes I had a place for although I accepted the job offer. Different divisions offer differing future employment prospects but it is clear there is a large recruitment drive, with many opportunities for people with a variety of backgrounds!

    5/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • 5/10 - It was difficult to meet and find other interns. This was mostly done off my own back and was difficult to do. I ended up having lunch with the same two interns most days which, nice though it was, it would have been good to get to know more interns earlier on to develop some friendships.

    3/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • 5/10 - This is difficult to determine given the wide area of where people lived. For me, it was slightly more expensive given Waitrose was the nearest shop and the area was more upmarket. However, for others, it was super cheap and easy, so it really depends on where one bases themeself.

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • 1/10 - N/A - I didn't really take part in this scene as I don't enjoy the few events that were organised. Again, this relates to the poor intern social organised events nature. Despite this, those that did go to the evening events had general good comments and enjoyed it.

    1/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • 10/10 - Many different opportunites with interns and co-workers. A club and sport showcase presented these to us and enabled us to see what we could get up to before, during, and after work, but also at weekends. This ranged from running clubs to caving! It was great and everyone was keen to help out.

    5/5

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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

South West

September 2019


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