Undergraduate Scientist Review

Taking a placement year at British American Tobacco was the best decision of my life and I have enjoyed it immensely. The independence, the responsibility and the range of things to learn is incredible. I never thought I would enjoy this year as much as I have and it has increased my confidence so much in myself and my abilities in a way that university never could.

Work done by students contributes to the business and so in this sense, I felt very valued. The people at BAT are also so friendly and welcoming and really treat you like a full time member of staff although they are very proud of their undergraduate scheme.

Support provided by managers is incredible and I learnt so much from mine. They were always there to help no matter how small or stupid the problem. The student liaison team at BAT were amazing too! They cared so much about the wellbeing of all the students and made huge efforts to make sure we were all happy with both work and life.

The work balance at BAT was perfect. There was more than enough work to keep me busy every day, but everyone knew how to have fun and the office was always relaxed and happy.

I was given my very own project as a student which was a huge responsibility, but I was never on my own. My manager worked through everything with me but left me to do my work on my own, giving me great independence. The importance of the student research for the business and to science is also a huge responsibility and was a great drive to do well.

The science and laboratory experience I gained at BAT were invaluable. I found myself learning things I'd never even heard of. Although the techniques I learnt at BAT were used in tobacco research, they were things that are used across a range of scientific disciplines, giving me a huge advantage in the job market. Non-scientific training was abundant. We had student specific courses for things like report writing, presentation skills, project management, CVs and more.

The office I sat in was a great working environment. Everyone was so friendly, there was a great balance of work and fun, and it was always a calm, relaxing atmosphere. The labs were of a very high standard and veryone worked well together in the different functions and were always willing to help each other out.

Extremely organised. During the first month, all students ahd inductions to the various functions and departments of the company which was a great way to relieve the pressure and ease us into it. Throughout the year, the placement team at BAT were always there to help and gave us so many opportunities to improve ourselves. They were a complete support network who were always there for us.

The company were always happy to help us develop if there was something specific we wanted to do. BAT is very passionate about personal development and allowed us to develop both personally and professionally.

BAT treat the undergraduate scheme as a year-long interview in the hopes of possibly hiring in the future. A lot of employees currently at BAT were once on the undergraduate student scheme which is very inspiring.

The placement students were really encouraged to spend time together which made for great friendships that went way beyond work. Within work itself, there were plenty of opportunities to go for drinks or meals with colleagues. The Sports and Social club were always selling subsidised tickets to concerts, games and shows which were great opportunities to mingle with colleagues.

Southampton was relatively cheap considering it's in the South. The most expensive aspect of living in Southampton was travelling home on the train to the North, everything else was very managable, especially with the wage we were paid.

Having two universities, Southampton is a great student city and there were plently of options for nights out, none of which were too far from home. There were loads of bars, clubs, restaurants and a casino!

The Sports and Social club at BAT were always selling tickets to events at subsidised prices. Examples include Formula 1, West End shows, national rugby games at Twickenham, festival and concert tickets, and even holiday deals! Every year, BAT have a Community Challenge day were if you want to, you can take the day off work (paid and not included as holiday) to work for a local charity. When I went this was working to renovate a community youth farm. The team spirit and work we achieved was very inspiring.