Food Science Intern Review

Kraft Foods were a fantastic company to work for, particularly as a student on an internshp, and they go above and beyond to ensure that you get the most out of your year with them, and that you have opportunities to develop and grow throughout the year.

Although I was a student within the team, I felt like a true member, where my opinion was valued and the work I did was appreciated.

My manager was fanastic, offering endless support and always sparing the time to assist with any aspects of my work, whilst also finding ways to constantly improve and develop throughout my year.

It varied throughout the year, like in any job, but the majority of time I felt it was a good work balance.

Considering I was students, I was given 2 real projects with real business impact which was extremely encouraging and I felt a real part of the business - not just a spare pair of hands.

My manager, my mentor and other development schemes taking place within Kraft Foods really helped me to identify the skills I'm good at, and how to improve on those which I am less confident with. The student mentoring scheme was also a great way to develop on key skills to become successful when starting out in the business world, whilst also getting to know other collegues and seek advice from different people.

The people in my office were fantastic. Very hard working whilst also a lot of fun to be around. I've made a lot of valued friends and contacts throughout my year at Kraft which I will keep in contact with throughout my future career.

The first few weeks were quite hectic and slow to get going, but once we were in full flow the rest of the year was well structured and very organised.

I had the opportunity to travel abroad to visit factories and understand the requirements of a collegue on a product trail. Kraft have a student mentoring scheme, which provides a set of workshops which aim to highlight areas of development for students and how they can improve on these. There were several courses I was sent on as part of a development scheme, as well as many workshops given by HR in career planning and career development.

I was offered a job with Kraft Foods when I left my placement which I am now considering as an option for the future.

The students I met on placement will be guaranteed friends for life, and the collegues at work were amazing, getting us involved in work life as much as we got them involved in the social side!

Our rent was extremely cheap compared to university accomodation and the towns shopping centre provided a great set of highstreet shops, and the bars/clubs around Banbury - although not the most upmarket - were amazingly cheap!

There were 3 night clubs in Banbury, all very cheap however quite small. We would venture to Oxford sometimes on the weekend for a night out where the clubs are bigger and better than those in Banbury. London is also only an hour on the train from Banbury.

Banbury is a large town, so there was quite a lot to get involved in. There is a gym with a large swimming pool. Collegues at work host a 5 a side football night and badminton night at the gym. There are other netball teams in the town, tennis courts and many other sports. Some of the student got involved in ball room dancing as part of a competition in the town.