Transport Planner summer intern Review

I enjoyed my placement a great deal and found it to be generally very eye opening into an industry I did not know a lot about previously. I learnt a great deal in my short time at Atkins and would definitely recommend others to also apply for the internship scheme.

I was surprised by how friendly the staff members were and how eager they were to integrate me into their team quickly. I wasn't treated as though I was an intern but rather as someone on the same level of others and this was something I was particularly grateful for.

For the most part I received the support and guidance I needed to get tasks done to the best of my abilities, but it was not so prescriptive such that I had no freedom to do tasks the way I felt would be best. Sometimes, more support would have been appreciated, particularly towards the start.

The daily workload varied somewhat through my placement. I found that in general there was not a huge amount of work to be done over my time for various reasons mostly out of the company's control. I would have appreciated being busier more regularly, though when I was busy on a project it was ideal.

I was treated as an equal to the other colleagues there and there was no time at which I felt I was not given responsibility that others would be given. There was some degree of autonomy over tasks, though generally my work was preliminary or analytical rather than client-facing, which I was happy with.

I absolutely feel that I learned a wide range of skills, including some skills that I never imagined I would have learned. Some of these skills I am able to apply immediately into my studies, while some of these skills will be more applicable in my future career, but useful nonetheless.

The atmosphere was ideal for me - it was very hardworking, but not without time to chat with colleagues about non-work related tasks. I was surprised with how dedicated the staff were towards their work, but also with how willing people were to get to know more about me and my studies.

For the most part, the set up was good and I felt by the end of the time there that I had learnt a lot of new skills. However, owing to the nature of the company it can be difficult to begin working on projects straight away with little prior knowledge, so it was sometimes difficult to organise this.

The company offered opportunities for learning with lunchtime seminars or webinars to help not only me but also the rest of the firm learn new skills. I was taught properly how to use software which are skills I will have for life and for this I feel they invested in me personally.

Prospects for future employment are strong and I have the opportunity to return for another internship next summer. There is a clear sense that graduates are particularly important to the firm and having completed an internship I feel that I stand a very strong chance of getting a graduate job.

I was the only placement student, though there were many recent graduates in the office who I could socialise with. There was a monthly social event which was good fun and there are also sports clubs people can join in with which is also good for the social scene of the office.

Being able to live at home and commute in my living costs were not an important factor to me. Socialising was reasonably priced and I never had any issues with affording to socialise at any time, particularly as I was earning money at the same time and people were fairly generous.

Nightlife was good, though it is pretty much the same as any big city.

There were sports clubs available for staff to get involved with.