Industrial Sandwich 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

3.7/5
  • The Role
    4.3
  • The Company
    2.8
  • The Culture
    3.8

    The Role

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

    • The people at Astrazeneca really make the time here enjoyable, they are friendly, welcoming and willing to help.

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

    • From the beginning of my placement here at AstraZeneca I have felt that my contribution to the project has always been valued and my voice heard and respected.

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

    • At the start of my placement I was given careful supervision and I felt safe and comfotable in asking any questions I needed to. Now towards the end of my placement I am happy to be mostly left to get on with what I am doing once I've chatted through what my plans are with my supervisor.

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

    • A placement here is no trivial thing, you will work hard, especially when you have university work to do outside of normal working hours. However having said that how much you do is also partly down to how much you want to do. If you want to get everything you can out of this placement there is a lot of scope to work not just in synthesis but also in design as well.

    4/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • As the year goes on you are given more and more responsibility until at the end of your placement here you will be working mostly independantly in the lab.

    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 practical experience in the lab will be invaluable in completeing my masters next year and the tutorial sessions with my supervisor will I'm sure be beneficial in my organic exams. Working in a large global buisness like AstraZeneca also gives you a lot of soft skills: working in a team, presentations and organisation.

    5/5

    The Company

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

    • The atmosphere was very friendly and people often had a laugh, most people went to coffee together in the morning and people would bring in cake.

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

    • The chemistry aspects fo this work placement was excellently organised and well-designed to suit my needs and my course requirements. However the outside firm that organises pay , Hays, is incredibly incompetant and frustrating to deal with.

    3/5
  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

    • For a significant time in the initial stages of my placement my supervisor gave me 1:1 tuition in the lab, especially with concepts new to me. I was also able to go on a medicinal chemistry conference in London where a learned a lot about up and coming methods of drug design.

    3/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • Flexi Time

    Sports and Social Club

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    National Travel

    Company Parties/Events

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    Above 25 days holiday
    4/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • There are no official channels by which future employment is given. However students are welcome to apply to the jobs available at the company, as some student who were in their final year did and some got the job. However in Chemistry it is often advised that student do a PhD before going into industry and so this may not particularly apply.

    1/5

    The Culture

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

    • My year was made as good as it was by the other students. What with bioscience, chemsitry and the graduate interns there is a large social scene. Sometimes the team would also go out to lunch together.

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

    • Macclesfield is very cheap to live and socialise in.

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

    • Macclesfield itself is pretty dry but Manchester is only a 20 minute trai journey away if you can bear waiting for the first train home at 6.

    3/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • Club AZ offers gym, sport and recreation.

    3/5
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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

Chemistry

North East

June 2015

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