Intern - Wells Review

My day to day work involved discussing aspects of my project with different members of the company. This ranged from graduates to specialists and people based in Aberdeen and in Houston (it's always good to chat to people from different places - a benefit of such a global company). I had a set of objectives that I needed to achieve and so it was important that I prepared for these discussions to make sure they were contributing to my ideas. I joined morning calls with offshore teams and also liaised with external suppliers, external from bp.

Looking back now, the amount I have learnt has been amazing. I've developed technically, having come into this experience with very little knowledge of wells and hydrocarbon extraction, to leaving with a solid foundation on which I can build my future skills. I've also learned to apply these skills to an increasingly renewable energy market, taking on a project to enable the business to better harness renewable energy into the future. Project management skills are key, with organisation skills developing massively.

Yes - and this is something that really made a difference and gave my internship a sense of purpose. I was given a project that didn't have an answer when I started at bp, and no one could tell me what a solution might look like. Yes, it throws you in at the deep end, but it's a rewarding feeling to then pitch your ideas knowing that you have a solution that can really add value to the business and its partners and customers.

During my internship, I had a line manager, a supervisor and a buddy. My line manager was someone that I officially reported to, and I met with them on a weekly/bi-weekly basis (this varied throughout the internship). My supervisor was my more regular contact who I could go to when I had any questions - this was particularly useful at the start of the internship whilst I was finding my feet. My buddy was also there as an independent point of support (they play no part in scoring/assessing you), which was nice to have! All the team and graduates particularly were very helpful to me during my placement.

The culture at bp is inclusive, focussed and professional. The company is very safety aware, and the company trust you to do your work without any sort of micro-management. Staff question ideas from a perspective of trying to understand, not trying to catch you out, in the knowledge that a team always performs better when we work together. People are very busy and the environment in my department was very fast-paced, but people always make time to help and support you as an intern, and everyone got on really well.

The internship was a really rewarding experience and a productive way to spend the summer! I felt like I could really contribute to the business and provide value, improving the way we do things and playing a part in achieving the company's net-zero strategy. The other interns were also really friendly, we all got on really well, and the support I received from the company was excellent. By having a project that had no answer and that really helps, it helped to give me a sense of purpose during my time at bp.

Yes

Look at the company strategy and their behaviours. This company doesn't just have these values as something that they write on a piece of paper and then not use them - they live and breathe their values. Make sure you know how your skillset fits in with the business aims, and be ready and prepared to directly contribute to this net-zero strategy. Finally, enjoy the application process - bp looks at 'how', not just the 'what'. By that, I mean the way you work/communicate/present is just as important as the technical knowledge you know.