Undergraduate Civil/Structural Engineer Review

At first the placement was tough as I am only a first year student so am not used to being in a working environment, towards the end though I really felt like I was able to do something useful and fully enjoyed the last few weeks working the team of Engineers.

Given I am a first year Engineering student I was very apprehensive about the sort of work I was going to be given and indeed if I would be able to do anything useful at all. My colleagues were extremely easy to get along with and really welcoming me into the team. They were also really kind and helpful when it came to answering questions I had.

Given the office I was based in was so small there wasn't necessarily all the levels of supervisors there that there might have been in a bigger working environment, however the team that I was with were extremely helpful whenever I had a question to ask and often spent time going through the work I had accomplished with me.

I think this was the most challenging thing for me on the placement as at the beginning especially the office wasn't actually that busy and so for me as a really unexperienced intern it was very difficult to find things for me to do. However as the 8 weeks progressed, my time spent doing useful work did increase and with that I also began to enjoy it much more. I was never too busy.

I think when I was busy I was given a very appropriate level of responsibility. All the work I did was checked by the graduate or supervising Engineer but equally I was left to get on with the work by myself.

I think it is difficult at this stage to really make the most of a summer placement because as a first year university student I am really inexperienced. However I did gain some useful skills in terms of working with colleagues and being in an office environment. I also picked up some of the skills Engineers use on a day to day basis in terms of methodology for the work they do, these should hopefully be valuable in my future career. Overall I think if I had been as busy throughout the entire placement as I was at the end, I would have learnt more but equally it is possible I just had expectations too high for how much a first year engineer can actually do!

I was working with a really great group of people who were really fun and interesting to talk to in lunch breaks.

I am not sure the placement had been given as much thought as I would have hoped. Everything was set up in terms of having a computer login and a pass to get in and out of the building but other than that I am not sure how much thought had really been put into what I would actually be doing. There was also a slight mess up with the way I was paid and when.

The company have an extensive training scheme which I enrolled in when I began my placement, the idea is that every summer I am with them I tick off the things I have achieved and they all count towards my eventual ICE accreditation as a Civil Engineer. I am also sponsored by the company which is extremely helpful and supportive with regard to my studies.

Given how welcoming and how nice the office environment was to work in I think I would definitely be keen to return if they took me!

I was the only placement student in the office at the time but the other graduates and colleagues seemed to have really great relationships too and so as a result of that an extensive social scene outside the office.

The placement was in London which is an extremely pricy place to be working/socializing/traveling however, given I live in London I was used to the price and so it didn't really effect me.

Given I already live in London I am very accustomed to the nightlife in that area. The office is based in a very cool part of the City, really close to plenty of clubs, bars and restaurants.

There were no organized work activities I could get involved with but my colleagues at the office were extremely welcoming and I was invited to a number of work socials in my time there.