Vacation Student Review

Learning about which projects the team are working on, shadowing different people in the team, completing minor tasks to see how they contribute to an overall project, visiting working sites and other offices in the country. I also learn about different types of software, (i.e., Bluebeam, Tedds, Revit), see what a job in an office is like, sit in on meetings, read up on design manuals made by the Institution of Structural Engineers and generally gain experience.

Yes, I have improved my communication and adaptive skills, as well as become more confident in asking questions while knowing when the a Senior Engineer just needs to crack on with their work (as they are very busy people). Having access to the company's databases and information has also expanded my skillset, as well as my handling of Bluebeam, research in design manuals by IStructE, and improved my organisational skills (through commuting to an office every day).

Not that much because I have only done one year of university in a four-year course and quite a lot depends on the work of a Structural Engineer - Arup needs to guarantee the safety of workers on site and of the building itself. A lot of the job relies on experience, which is what I am here to gain in the first place! It's also about making connections in industry and knowing how to present your ideas, and since I don't have a solid base of knowledge, I can't really help out in that respect.

Considering how busy everyone was, quite a lot! They were all very kind and understanding and probably remembered quite well what it felt like to be an intern, so were more than happy to talk me through any projects I found interesting and answering my questions with a lot of patience. I was very happy with how much support I got. As for guidance, because there was so much I don't know, it wasn't possible to give me all the guidance I needed.

Both appeared very good to me - everyone I approached was friendly and I didn't feel afraid to ask for help when I needed it. There were lots of other interns around, so they helped me settle in. Quite a few people worked from home 2-3 days of the week, so the office wasn't claustrophobic but it was a bit empty at times, so I didn't meet everyone immediately, which might have been preferable.

I very much enjoyed my internship given that it gave me excellent contacts, it looks wonderful on my CV and gave me so much experience in the industry. I would highly recommend it to other people thinking of doing the same job because you are surrounded by people doing that job! It was an exciting place to be because everything was moving fast all the time and the scale of the projects were often huge.

Yes

Pick something to be enthusiastic about and demonstrate this in an interview, practice the online psychometric tests because they are hard to get your head around, be honest and honest in the interview, look at the company's ethos page (because the founder's values are still very important in the company) and remember that they open their application period very early on, so don't miss it! I would also advise people to be original with your answers on the online application.