Intern Analyst 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

3.8/5
  • The Role
    4.1
  • The Company
    4.1
  • The Culture
    2.9

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • The role at DSTL was very enjoyable. The interns were treated really well by all members of staff and given interesting work that had important use in the company. The interns are also given really good opportunities for further training and visits to other sites, military bases and defense conferences.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • I felt really valued by all members of staff. My line manager checked in frequently to make sure I was happy with the workload and the type of work I was doing. There is also a lot of events to meet other interns and coworkers which allowed me to settle in quite quickly.

    5/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • Everyone that I was introduced to expressed a keen willingness to help with any questions that I would have about my work or the company itself. I would also have a few points of contact that I would regularly meet with to go over the work I was doing so if one of them was off, I would always have someone to talk to.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • I would say at the start of the internship you tend to not have enough work to do, which seems to be mainly down to them trying to match you to a peice of work that you will enjoy and do well at. However, a couple of weeks in the workload tends to be a good balance.

    3/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • The work I was given definitely had an important role in the overall work package of the group, which made me carry a moderate amount of responsibility. However, I wouldn't say that I felt any particular stress about my work and what would happen if I didn't complete it in time.

    3/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • One of the main things I gained from my internship was time management and self disipline. At DSTL I was given a few different peices of work with varying priorities and deadlines, which meant I had to properly plan out what I would achieve in each week and then have the self disipline to actually complete them - staying after hours if required.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The workplace adopted a flexi desking scheme, which has mixed opinion amongst the office. For me it meant it was easier to meet new people in different teams. I felt the office in general was very open and talkative, but I would expect it's the same in most company offices.

    4/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • Again, the start of the internship feels like it could be organised better. The first couple of weeks were spent mainly doing background reading and basic training. However, I feel like this could all be done in the first week, which would have allowed me to complete more work over the internship

    4/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • For an intern, I definitely feel like DSTL put a lot of investment in me for training and networking. If i wanted to experience a different department or site, or take part in a training course that was relevant to my work, my line manager was more than happy to see if she could help me.

    5/5

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

    Company Parties/Events

    Above 25 days holiday

    Working from home

    4/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • I completed an internship a year ago, after which I was invited back for another internship this summer. As I am now going into my final year, DSTL offered me a graduate position for once I finish and a scholarship to help me through my final year. I didn't have to apply or do a formal interview for either.

    5/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • To be honest, I felt like most of the people who were working there were quite a bit older than me, hence making the social scene slightly difficult. However, I did find other grads and interns over the summer that I would spend time with after work. I will say I didn't live with anyone from work which did make it harder.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • Portsmouth is quite a lot more expensive than where I'm from (Newcastle). However, for the south of England I thought it was less expensive than what I was expecting. But it is hard for me to judge. Probably the most expensive part of living there is the daily commute to work.

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • The nightlife is differently worse than both Newcastle and Nottingham. There isn't much choice in terms of where to club. The clubs are ok, I didn't really like either of the ones I went to. The bars in Gunwarf are really nice, but quite expensive. Southampton might be better for nightlife but I'm not too sure.

    2/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • In terms of nightlife some of the coworkers would organise division or team events over the summer like bar crawls or film nights. Some of the teams would also go out for lunch quite frequently. For work related stuff, it varies for what's on, but typically interns get to go to at least one big conference over the summer

    4/5

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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

Computer Science

South West

October 2019


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