Placement Student Review
by AstraZeneca
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
4.9
-
The Company
4.8
-
The Culture
3.9
- 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
I really enjoyed working for AstraZeneca since it was a very friendly and welcoming environment. I was also treated as a permanent staff member and my opinions were valued.
I was treated as a permanent staff member and asked to attend meeting and give presentations. My opinions were valued by my colleagues and the management team.
I had weekly meeting with my supervisor about the progress of my work and monthly meeting with my manager. I wasn't told exactly what to do but was encouraged to think about my experiments independently. However, I was given full support in case I needed it.
I was set targets to reach monthly and I planned my own time in order to reach the set targets. I was quite busy on daily basis since most of the time I had meetings to addend and prepare for while doing my lab work as well.
I was asked to help with quite high profile projects and I was again treated as a permanent employee and not as a student. I was happy with the level of responsibility.
The laboratory skills I developed have made increased my confidence in the lab. Working in a fast paced environment like AstraZeneca has increased my confidence to work independently as well as part of a team and improved both communication and written skills as well.
The Company
I really enjoyed the working environment because everyone was so friendly and always available to help If I needed it.
The scheme has been running quite a lot of years now and it was really well organised. I was assigned to a team before I even started and had got to know my supervisor.
AstraZeneca sent me on different courses to improve my IT skills and laboratory skills. I felt that the company was training me as a permanent staff member and they would have liked to keep me on.
Flexi Time
Subsidised Canteen
Sports and Social Club
Subsidised/Company Gym
Company Parties/Events
Above 25 days holiday
Working from home
AstraZeneca is now running a graduate scheme and all the placement students were encouraged to apply.
The Culture
There was a social club comprising all the placement students and the graduates. They organised regular events to socialise and we all sat together at lunch. In addition, AstraZeneca organised a Christmas party for all its employees free of change and placement students were also invited.
The cost of living was average with house rents averaging about £250 per month.
The night life was quite poor in Macclesfield but Manchester wasn't to far away.
There were many sport and social clubs at AstraZeneca and loads of opportunities to get involved
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
Pharmaceutical
North West
November 2014
