Software Developer Review

by Metaswitch Networks

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.9/5
  • The Role
    4.0
  • The Company
    4.3
  • The Culture
    3.1

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

    • The work was challenging but there was great support from the people around me so was never left floundering.

    4/5
  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

    • The work was genuine work that needed doing and will continue to be used indefinitely once I am gone. On the personal side there were regular morale events including welcome drinks so you immediately get to know other people in the office. There were also activities such as football and frisbee on at lunchtime which was fun and another good way to get to know people.

    4/5
  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

    • There were weekly status meetings to keep abreast of my progress, assess what the key tasks ahead were and to check on any personal development I needed. There was also an overall IDP process including a plan for my development over the summer and a comprehensive review process at the end to evaluate my performance and give guidance on what I can work on.

    5/5
  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

    • There was always work to do but I was never expected to work longer hours than I was supposed to or to do more work than I was capable of doing.

    5/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • I was allowed to develop the tests in my own way down to the details and to develop extra scripts if I thought they would be useful. There were checks though to ensure that everything that I wrote was properly checked and reviewed.

    4/5
  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

    • The placement was not directly relevant to my course. However if I went into a career in software engineering they would be very useful as you got a full flavour of the environment and working practices as well as good coding practices which will always be useful.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

    • Good friendly atmosphere, allowed to take long lunch breaks for sport or other activities, there was regular "Pizza lunchtimes" where you got to share a takeaway with colleagues. All in all everyone was very helpful and friendly.

    4/5
  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

    • Excellent organisation. From the moment I arrived it was clear what I was doing and everything was ready when I arrived and the task was tailored to me and I was not sitting around at the end with nothing to do.

    5/5
  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

    • I was encouraged (and allocated work time) to read up around the software engineering profession as well as attending (and reviewing old) education seminars on different programming languages, computer architecture and specific company products.

    5/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • Flexi Time

    Financial Bonus

    Company Parties/Events
    4/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • Very tempting! They are an excellent company who's first priority is to ensure that their workforce is both enjoying their job but also being challenged.

    5/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

    • We lived in accommodation together (provided by the company) so saw each other a lot and we spent a lot of time together playing cards, climbing hills or going to watch a show at the fringe!

    4/5
  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

    • Accommodation provided by the company was a very reasonable rate which was far below the cost we would have had to pay if we did it ourselves. Edinburgh is not a cheap city to live in though.

    2/5
  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

    • Edinburgh is OK for nightlife. Not as good as Glasgow though although there are a few late trains so that is a possibility. Once the fringe started though the general going out atmosphere picked up a lot.

    4/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • Not as many as the main office in Enfield but the Edinburgh office still had people who played football, frisbee and some board games.

    3/5
    Report this review

Details

Internship (1 Month+)

Scotland

October 2010

View More Reviews