Sensory Scientist Review

I've really enjoyed working at BAT. The work is challenging and meaningful, so you feel as though the work you do matters to the company and makes a difference. I've felt a sense of fulfilment from the work I have done, as I know that it is valued. The people are great, my whole department are excellent and have supported me a lot as I've learnt and grown. I've made lots of friends at work as I feel the people share a lot of my interests and values.

I definitely feel valued by my colleagues. They have definitely put in the effort to support my learning in the beginning and throughout the entire year so that I can grow as an employee and produce better work. They have been very complementary about how I've improved over time and they've made sure that I know that they're impressed, they've even told me they're proud of me which was really special. I had a great team this year.

My manager has been fantastic, she is a great asset to the business and a brilliant leader to others. She is an incredibly busy woman but always makes the time to check in on me to make sure I am coping with the workload. She is very aware of how far people can be pushed to work well, without being pushed too far, to ensure that people are working within their capabilities, whilst continuing to improve.

In the beginning whilst I was still learning I wasn't too busy, which is logical as I hadn't built the skills and knowledge yet. Over time as I became more competent I did then became very busy. This suited me because I like being challenged and I don't like feeling as if I have nothing to do. It is definitely the place to work for people that like having a lot to do, but I feel this is better than the alternative, because you learn so much.

I've been given quite a lot of responsibility during my placement. In the first 2 months a member of my team moved departments and I had to take over some of her responsibilities. It was somewhat daunting at the beginning because I still felt very new but I quickly made it my own. I've since made several changes and implemented new processes so I feel that this was a huge learning opportunity that gave me ownership over the work.

I feel that I've developed hugely throughout my placement year, to the point where I feel like a different person to when I started. My confidence has grown and I understand the professional workplace so much more. I've built skills in project management which will hugely benefit me as a future employee. I've also developed areas that I previously felt weak on such as communication, organisation and presentation skills which are fundament skills, yet are frequently underestimated in importance.

The people in my department are great, they're very friendly and we have good conversations. Obviously there are quiet periods as everyone has a lot of work to do but the general atmosphere is great.

There is a dedicated placement team which handle the management of the scheme, alongside their regular day jobs, which takes a lot of effort on their part and is very appreciated! They organised a visit to the site before the placement started so we could all meet each other and our teams. They also organise several inductions and workshops at the beginning for our learning. We also have regular meetings throughout the year, and they check in on us to see how we're doing.

I believe they have invested a lot into my development. My team organised several inductions for me in the beginning of the year that were specific to my role, in addition to the ones the placement team organised. I've also been sent on several workshops and training courses throughout the year. They've always treated me as a member of the team that they would train up as well as a permanent employee. There are also additional training courses available that you can sign up to take part in.

As a very large multinational company, there are a huge amount of opportunities to work with them both in the UK and abroad. They encourage the students to apply for the graduate scheme, and if they don't get onto that there are opportunities to apply for full time positions. I've already secured a full time job which I'm really pleased about, as it is a great company to work for that treats its employees really well.

Most of the placement students decided to secure housing together which is a really great way to both socialise, and gain some familiar faces in a city that you are not from. We all meet up on a regular basis and I count them all as friends. The social scene has been impacted by COVID-19 but that is obviously not a reflection on the placement itself, as I'm sure we would have all still been meeting up now if we could.

As a city, it's not super cheap, but I feel it reflects regular city prices. It's still cheaper than London.

As a smaller city, the nightlife isn't on the scale of large cities such as London, Birmingham and Manchester. However, I think that the nightlife is good enough. There is a street where most of the clubs are located, as well as plenty of bars and pubs. There are also lots of small venues that host bands that have been great to attend.

There have been lots of opportunities for activities outside of work. In terms of sport/exercise, there is a subsidised gym onsite which also holds extra fitness classes, as well as sports teams that you can join. For social events, there is a social club which organises activities, we went to Oktoberfest, as well as some times where they booked out restaurants/bars for social events. There would have been more events planned in the Summer but this was disrupted because of COVID.