Birmingham Undergraduate Internship Programme Review

The internship was really enjoyable. The work was challenging, but I never felt overstretched and always felt that there were lots of people that I could approach for help and support. I was also really proud of everything that I was able to achieve and have felt my confidence improve as a result.

My colleagues were lovely. They spend time getting to know me and were always supportive, asking me about my progress on the project and ready to offer any support or guidance. By the end of the internship I was really sad to go.

My supervisor was very friendly. I had regular meetings with him and felt able to approach him for help at any time that an issue arose. Any issues I did raise were dealt with promptly and satisfactorily.

My workload was well balanced so that I never felt overloaded. My supervisor made certain to discuss how much work I had and to that I was happy. There was also a variety of different types of work so I never felt bored of the work that I was completing.

I was given sole responsibility over the project that I was running and then included as part of the team on other aspects of the internship. I felt as though this was a good balance that prevented me from feeling under too much pressure, but still allowed be to develop plenty of skills.

I learnt a huge amount about project management, improving skills such as time management and organization. These skills will be hugely beneficial in any career that I might choose to pursue once I have finished my degree.

The atmosphere was good. The people were very friendly. I always felt able to stop for a chat. There was never any pressure to sit and work in silence. I think that this relaxed atmosphere was why the team was so successful.

The internship was well organised by the internship officer. He contacted us before the internship to make us aware of the arrangements, was available to sort out any issues throughout and also organised training sessions for all the interns.

We were given plenty of training, learning about professional etiquette, networking, presentations skills, applications, face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews, Skype interviews etc. We were also given an opportunity to practice making presentations to members of various departments.

I was surprised to discover how appealing the future employment prospects are. I would certainly consider applying either to a job within a department or the graduate scheme once I have graduated next year.

There were not really an opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work but I did not really find this an issue. As the internship was in the summer, I was spending lots of time seeing family and friends, so I did not have lots of time to get involved in activities anyway.