Summer Intern Review

ARM has a vibrant atmosphere, with lots people willing to help if you encounter problems, not just your supervisors. Outside of work, there were lots of social activities organised and a huge number of sports or general interest groups to get involved with. The large number of interns meant there were many like-minded people to socialise with.

As a short-term intern, it's difficult to really integrate with a team, but the people I worked with were happy to provide advice about lots of things, or just to have a conversation over coffee. While the outline of my work was set by superiors, my own input as to the best solutions to problems was readily taken on board and I was given a lot of freedom to work with. It was particularly satisfying to see at the end of my internship that my work was of interest to other employees and would be carried on in the future.

Despite being very busy with their own workloads due to imminent release deadlines, my supervisors were excellent with support and guidance. Any problems I needed help with, technical or otherwise, were resolved within a day at most. Regular meetings and discussions ensured my work stayed focused and on-track, enabling me to complete my project to very satisfactory level. Lots of help was provided with settling in to work initially as well; mentors were assigned to help become familiar with the work environment and the local area as well.

The nature of my work meant that there were bursts of activity, but on average, the workload was good. There was no heavy pressure to meet deadlines and supervisors were understanding of unexpected problems and personal limitations in experience. Work hours were very flexible.

I was given a very high degree of autonomy over my own project and ensuring it was successful, but little responsibility otherwise. As an intern, it was not possible for me to be a part of a team in any leadership capacity.

The skills I gained were primarily technical and resolved many of my weaknesses before the internship. I gained a much better understanding of the practicalities of programming to supplement my largely theoretical background. In addition, I was able to develop my presentation skills further by presenting to audiences of mixed technical backgrounds, and to understand how a large company like ARM functions on a day-to-day basis.

The atmosphere was generally laid back and informal. People were focused on work most of the time, but were happy to take time to discuss problems or help other people in the office. Dress code was very casual and breaks were flexible, with people taking lunch breaks at convenient points in their work. It was perfectly acceptable to listen to music while working, and from time-to-time, read news or social media, or talk to co-workers about non-work related topics. There were very few formalities or rigid work routines.

The internship had a clear aim to work towards and was explained well, though the nature of the work meant there was no concrete end-point, with lots of on-going work possible. The internship was well organised, allowing me to hit the ground running and make progress early on, without dealing with too much bureaucracy and paperwork. There were well-defined procedures and points-of-contact for questions or problems, and issues were dealt with quickly.

The company regularly hosted talks and seminars from employees about their fields and projects. All employees were free to attend any such events that interested them or were relevant to their job, during work hours. Formal training sessions were not provided for short-term interns, but supervisors and co-workers were happy to take time to informally teach me about programming related to my tasks. Lots of videos and tutorials were available on a huge breadth of topics to personally develop my skills.

ARM is a successful and growing company, with lots of opportunities for advancement. The environment is very graduate friendly. In terms of salary and benefits, it exceeds or rivals most other companies.

Interns were very social, with multiple meetups, film nights and trips every week. Some events were organised by the company, but the majority was organised by interns and ranged from tourist activities around Cambridge for people new to the area, to ice skating and weekly barbeques.

Cambridge can be a relatively expensive place to live in and socialise, but as it is also a student town, there are lots of more affordable venues and activities, and plenty to do for everyone. This may not be immediately obvious to someone new to the area and might need a bit more exploration

Nightlife is limited, as it is not a large metropolitan city, but the pubs are excellent. There are not very many bars and clubs in comparison to a larger city, but the quality is generally good and there are very few safety issues.

ARM itself contained a wealth of clubs ran by employees, ranging from sports to board games to casual social clubs. Since Cambridge is a student town, there are also a large number of societies that run year-round and many are open to members of the public, as well as all the non-student clubs in the area. A lack of hours in the day is a bigger problem than finding things to do.