Mechanical Engineer (Building Services) Review

I have been designing mechanical services for a variety of building types, including warehouses, church centres and rehabilitation centres. This is mostly at a conceptual stage (RIBA Stage 2) but I have also undertaken some tasks further down the line, such as creating plant schedules and diffuser/grille selection schedules. I have also created a few detailed IES-VE models and have simulated them to determine HVAC loads.

Many of my skills have been enhanced; I have used a wider range of tools in IES-VE which I had not previously used at university. On top of this, I have been taught about various mechanical services systems in greater depth than at university, which is very useful for designing HVAC systems.

I felt as though I had a good level of responsibility without feeling too out of my depth. The work I was doing was to be used in current Arup projects, so I had to ensure my work was thorough and that my calculations were robust so as to not cause issues further down the line. However, if I ever needed support, I always knew who to talk to or where to find extra information.

I received a good level of support; I worked relatively independently but support was always there when I needed it and everyone in the office was happy to help, no matter how small (or silly) the question was.

The company culture was great; I was invited on a variety of work socials - I did not expect to be invited as an intern so these were very happily accepted! The office atmosphere was also lovely, everyone was always happy and smiling. The actual office itself was very open-plan, so I felt very included within the team.

I thoroughly enjoyed my internship. I felt like I learnt a great deal and it was very useful for the development of my career.

Yes

Keep calm and don't panic!! I tried not to think too much about how big the company was during my interview which greatly helped me - I didn't want to overwhelm myself!