Summer Placement Student Review

by Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl)

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

Rating

3.6/5
  • The Role
    3.9
  • The Company
    3.8
  • The Culture
    3.0

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I found my work placement extremely engaging and enjoyable. I was involved in a variety of projects where I was able to make a valuable contribution. I also learnt about different areas of work and learnt how to use unfamiliar equipment, increasing my skill set and also understanding the extent of work that occurs at Dstl.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • Though I am an undergraduate student, my collegues at Dstl treat me the same as the do to full time employees whilst still understanding my limited skill set and knowledge of the projects. I feel like I have been accepted into the company and the team, and I have gained many friends during my placement.

    5/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • My manager is always there to talk to if I require help, more work or any other HR issues. With unfamiliar work I was supervised and given instruction when required. I've always had someone to go to when I require help, but I'm also given the right amount of independence to get on with my own work.

    4/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • During my first few days, I found that I was often bored mainly due to the fact I was given only one piece of work and that it took a while to get settled back in, get IT sorted and all the relevent training. After this, I felt I was given a sufficient amount of work and I have been kept busy.

    4/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • During my placement I was given a lot of individual work which I was able to complete on my own and just deliver the final product, but where I was working with other people, I was given responsibility to run any testing or any parts that I could do. Furthermore, because I had done similar types of testing, I was also asked to do a set of testing on my own.

    4/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • Time management skills that I obtained will definitely help during my degree studies, but I've also learnt how to keep and maintain information logs, takle unfamiliar situations and equipment. I found that working in this environment has also helped me to maintain an understanding of the application of knowledge gained at university.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • My office was quite small (only three of us) but I felt I was accepted and I had a good time talking to my collegues. Plus, we quite often get people coming in an out so it doesn't ever get boring. The office atmosphere was usually very friendly and everyone was very accpeting of me.

    4/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • The placement was quite well organised as I was informed by my line manager that they were expecting me. On my first day I got all the necessary inductions and IT requirements. However, I was without a phone on my desk for over a week. But because they were expecting me, I was given work quite quickly.

    4/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • As a summer student I wasn't given any external training but I did get some internal training at work. Plus, due to the projects I was working on I was able to get quite a lot of unofficial training on a range of equipment and different setups in the labs.

    3/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Flexi Time

    Subsidised Canteen

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    Working from home

    4/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • As a sponsorship student, I get guarenteed summer placements during each summer whilst I'm at university, and I also get a guarenteed interview onto the graduate scheme after my time at university. Therefore, I expect my career to progress with Dstl for quite a long time.

    5/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • Between the students, we were very friendly and often got together during breaks etc. There is quite a number of students at Dstl so it is not hard to find people to talk to.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • I did not have to spend any money because I lived at home and commuted to work. But in the area, the living and socialising costs are quite reasonable and my pay is enough to cover the costs.

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • The area around the workplace, there is only a few pubs and places to go. However most people commuted from other areas which had a far mre exciting night life. Most people commuted from those areas since there is a work shuttle bus and makes it convienient as my place of work is not very accessible.

    3/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • There are quite a few opportunities to get involved in such as weekly pub quizzes which occur in the local areas. Furthermore, we have a 'community' which organise any activities such as visits or talks. These happen quite often, and usually big events happen every 2/3 months.

    4/5

    Report this review

Details

Internship (1 Month+)

Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Science

South East

August 2015


View More Reviews