Recruitment Communications Intern at Schlumberger

I really enjoyed my placement. I was given responsibility early on and each project allowed me to develop new skills, from video editing to event management. All the staff were so welcoming and all wanted to help you progress, I never felt like I couldn't ask any questions and I felt like a valued member of the team.

I definitely felt valued by my colleagues. The company's culture is very inclusive and everything is done through teamwork. Right from the start, they wanted to hear my opinions and suggestions for improvements. I was asked to work on multiple projects and every person i worked with treated me with respect.

As the company is so big, I was always able to ask for help and anytime I emailed anyone with a question they always responded and helped me. You also have quarterly meetings with your manager so you can give your feedback and receive any necessary support, but my manager had an open door policy so I had constant support and guidance.

I would say that every day was busy, but not overwhelming. Certain times were busier than others, but I always felt that I could ask for more work if i needed to. They trust you to work on projects independently and this makes for a busy work life, as you get a steady flow of work and can also start up your own projects that you want to do.

I was given a lot of responsibility during my placement. From day one, they make sure they train you up to do everything and you will be given certain areas of responsibility. This allowed me to develop areas of expertise and learn new skills daily. I was worried that I would be making coffee and nothing else, but that never happened!

As a history student, I was worried that I didn't have enough transferable skills, but I now realized I have great writing and research skills. This placement helped me elevate these skills and also gave me new skills in video editing, social media and event management, which I would have never had a chance to do during my degree.

The general atmosphere was very friendly and welcoming. You are able to get on with work if you want to and focus, but people are also chatty and sociable. We always had lunch together as a team and you will also be introduced to senior members of staff, which helps you to network.

The placement was very well organised from the interview right to my first day. The HR team kept me informed on what I needed to do and the previous intern also reached out to me to answer my questions. From day one, my tasks and the expectations of what I would do were clearly communicated to me.

I would say that the company invested in me improving my skills constantly. They invested in a multitude of different software programs to help me improve my editing abilities. You also get sent on two different training courses throughout your placement and this helps you develop throughout the whole year.

If offered a graduate job at the company I would definitely accept the role. They have a lot of graduate positions and they also try to get you to work in different departments to make sure you have skills in a variety of sectors. I think a career with them would offer a lot of opportunities.

As I worked in the Gatwick office, it was harder for people to socialise due to the lack of bars in the immediate vicinity. However, in the office other placement students would have lunches together and everyone was very friendly. Within the office, there was more of a social scene then there was in the out of office hours.

As my placement was based in London socializing and living costs were expensive. However, the salary that I received meant that this was not an issue and I never felt that the costs were overwhelming or unmanageable. As the canteen was subsidized, lunch at work was also very affordable and work also organised events for the placement students that were paid for which helped.

In the direct vicinity of the office there was no nightlife, but it was a short train to London. However, due to prices and people not wanting to go to London meant that nights out were not consistent. The nightlife was better for more casual drinks, but actual clubbing was nonexistent.

Within work there was a football team and lunches out, which helped with the general social scene within the office. There were not really any opportunities outside of work to do activities that work organised but, because of the good working hours and the flexibility of where you could work meant that doing activities outside of work was possible.