Industrial Trainee - EU/Canada/Australia/NZ Regulatory Policy Review

9. I have really enjoyed my placement year. I have gained a good overview of the pharmaceutical industry, and the projects I have been working upon have been very interesting, I always had a good amount of work to do and the various colleagues I worked with were helpful, friendly and happy to work with me.

8. I felt valued by my colleagues, especially the ones in my immediate department. They asked for my advice and help on certain projects, and I felt like they had faith in my abilities.

9. I was given plenty of support and guidance. On top of weekly meetings with my manager, I was allowed to explore various other areas of the company including external meetings, visits to other UK Pfizer sites and discussions with members of other departments. My manager was always happy to answer any questions I had, and did so promptly. We set out key development goals over the year, and I feel that, under my managers advice, I have made good improvements in these areas.

8. I almost always had a very good amount of work to do. I was never overstretched, and also never had nothing to do.

9. I feel like I had a very good amount of responsibility. I never felt out of my depth, but I was left to manage projects on my own which allowed me to challenge myself. I was allowed to represent Pfizer at external meetings, as well as present on topics internally too.

8. I think they will really help. I have a much better idea of what career path I want to pursue in the future, both because of the broad nature of my job and because I was allowed to explore other areas of the company. My organisational skills have improved, as well as my written communication. My biggest skill development is in my ability to give presentations. Through giving presentations, attending meetings, being encouraged to talk and chair meetings, I feel a lot more confident in my ability to address a group of people.

8. The atmosphere was good in my office. Pfizer are used to having industrial trainees, so everyone is welcoming of you and happy to talk to you. Both on-site and off-site social activities are organised, and the industrial trainees are encouraged to get involved.

8. Very well organised. The application process was simple, and I got the 'yes' from my interview very promptly. Other pharmaceutical firms took a lot longer to get back to me. An insight day was then organised for us so we could gain an understanding of our role prior to joining. During the first week we had a number of meetings with colleagues and our respective supervisors which gave us a good background to the company and our roles. If I have one criticism it would be that the job description in the advertisement was quite vague and corporate, so it was a little difficult to understand precisely what role I was applying for until I got to the interview.

10. I am very happy and grateful in this respect. I was allowed to travel to 3 other Pfizer sites within the UK, including a packaging facility, our commercial HQ and an early-phase research unit. These were really useful visits in respect of getting a broader understanding of the company as a whole. I was also allowed to travel to meetings, including one in Belgium. In the first few weeks of my placement I discussed with my supervisor what I wanted to get out of the placement. For me, a focus would be public speaking/presenting. This was something I was allowed to improve over the year - I was given numerous opportunities. I was also encouraged to meet colleagues from other departments to get an understanding of the different roles available in pharma.

6. Although there is not a specific graduate scheme, I believe that if role vacancies do arise, Pfizer do encourage their previous industrial trainees to apply for the position. Because Pfizer is so well known however, a good reference from your supervisor can be a very useful thing to have when applying for other jobs.

7. There are a good number of other industrial trainees on the site, and they were sociable. Different departments also organised social activities occasionally in the evenings. Colleagues were welcoming and encouraged ITs to participate in things such as local 5-a-side football matches, joining local tennis clubs etc.

7. The cost of living was very reasonable, and socialising on the whole was ok. However for really sociable people Sandwich is a little remote, and travelling to somewhere like London is both time consuming and a little pricey.

4. There are pubs to go to with work colleagues, but some of the local areas are a little rough .Sandwich and Ramsgate are quite remote, so you have to travel to go somewhere good.

8. Yes. Although remote, there were various sporting activities to get involved in such as tennis, football, golf, cycling. Pfizer also run a STEM (volunteering) function, which ITs can participate in during work hours on occasion.