Engineering Placement Review

Mostly I enjoyed the environment I worked in. People I worked with were very helpful and friendly. I was almost free to choose the type of work I wanted to do and the pace/workload. Generally, I enjoyed it a lot.

In the beginning I was struggling to adapt to the new environment and to learn things quickly. So I felt not so useful to the firm. But later, as my confidence grew, it got easier and felt better with growing responsibilities too.

I was given very good support and advice from my supervisors. I was surprised that even though the company people were busy with their own work, there were always one or two colleagues at the time to help and guide.

The workload fluctuated very much during the internship. From being half day free to respond to a few emails to showing up for 2 hours in the office per week due to ongoing surveys every day.

I was given a fair amount of responsibilities. I was surveying on my own, writing reports (partially), doing calculations and similar type of things which do not require rigorous training/studying of the subject before.

Most importantly, I learnt about the industry; how it works and what to expect if I decide to join the industry after graduation. Apart from that, I learn surveying, report writing, basics of metrics used - all of what I will be studying in the near future.

The atmosphere varied depending on department. Architects, sustainability team work very hard and people are generally more stressed (secondary source). Mechanical and electrical Eng teams are more relaxed, depending on workload. Generally it was nice and friendly.

It was more on a spontaneous side, again, depending on workload. It didn't have a specific structure, it was more based on previous experiences of students and what they did in the company.

They invested a lot in me. The company trained me on surveying; bringing on sites, answering questions I had and generally helping me to learn. Also, they spent time on training me report writing, doing calculations, etc.

It would be appealing for a person who knows exactly that he/she wants surveying type of job as it is mostly about it (up to a certain level). I do not regret doing it, but feel like trying other type of work too.

It was social enough. There were 4 other students from different department doing internships at the same time. We would have lunch together and have some time out in an informal setting.

The cost of living was around 550 GBP/month. This covered rent (300 GBP/month) and food, basic entertainment and miscellaneous expenses. The cost is usually higher due to higher rent prices.

Bristol has a very vibrant nightlife: from 90's themed nightclubs to 5-floor popular EDM tracks playing clubs with min. 10 pound entrance fees. There are nice restaurant and pubs/bars with independent and live music as well.

Yes, I was allowed to stay in the office late in the evening to do my own work which was handy. Also, the firm organised a few social events across the office, incl. cake baking competition and rounders game in a field.