This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
-
The Company
-
The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
The placement had both high points and low points. As I was working with a team based in Area 2 of Building 5, I was not able to have a desk with them, and was placed in a lab away from the team. This made communicating with them when I needed help difficult. I enjoyed working on a single project over the time I was there, rather than flitting between tasks, and the placement improved as I made progress through the project.
I felt the team valued my presence, but as I was situated on a different floor in the building to them I did not have much contact with them. Apart from my 'mentor' in the team, I rarely saw them. However, when I delivered my work at the end of the internship I received good feedback and have been told it will be used as the basis of further work in the subject area.
My supervisor on my project did his best to see me as often as possible, on a daily basis at the business end of the project. He was also happy to just talk to me in down time, helping me feel more at ease and comfortable at work.
I had periods where I was busy, however I also sometimes found myself unoccupied for large parts of the day. I feel I could have achieved more if I was pushed with a greater workload.
I was largely left to my own devices to work out what to do on my project, and was the sole producer of the work and presentations delivered at the end. Having this presentation at the end of the project to the team and group members definitely benefited me and made me feel like I had been trusted to deliver something and had done so.
I have gained skills in Python and Perl coding, which hopefully will be of use. The confidence I have gained from presenting my work to a group of people, each with a business interest in my work, will make it easier to present to my peers at University. It has also given me an idea of what is necessary to know working in S&T.
The Company
The office was very quiet, with people not really inviting conversation or engaging me with their work.
There were a number of students working at the company, each of whom seemed to have support in their placement. The placement of students in one lab seemed planned to prevent isolation, which partially worked.
I did not receive any personal training, and had to work out new applications and programmes on my own, when I may have benefited from support.
Flexi Time
Subsidised/Company Gym
Staff Sales/Staff Shop
There are a range of different areas Dstl deal in, and I have asked to keep in contact in case opportunities come up.
The Culture
There wasn't really any contact with people out of working hours.
I stayed at home, but the bus and rail travel to the sight seemed expensive.
Cannot really comment, as I stayed at home during the placement
There were gym facilities available, but in my 2 months it did not seem worth using.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
South West
September 2013