Chemical and Process Engineering Intern Review

Working at BP was extremely engaging and interesting! I was a Chemical and Process Engineering Intern for 11 weeks, placed at Sunbury-on-Thames in the UK. My project was out of my comfort zone, but it was very informative and fun to do. The interns developed a great community, and were quite social and friendly to hang out with. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised and the internship exceeded all expectations I had!

I worked in Group Technology, and everyone around me in my team were very friendly and supportive. Whatever problems I had were resolved quickly and I didn't feel like a stranger for long. The intern community was very large and friendly, and it was easy to make new friends at work. The whole experience was very genuine, and nobody was trying to be someone they weren't.

When I found out who my line manager was, I contacted him, and he was in my home city for a few days. I'd actually met my line manager much before I even started work, and he was very supportive and calm, which reassured any doubts I had about doing a summer internship. During the internship, I had loads of support, in terms of official advice and meetings with my line manager, and also advice from 2-3 people who were mentoring my internship and my project. Problems were also resolved very quickly by the HR team.

I discussed my objectives and project trajectory weekly with my line manager, which really enabled me to stick to a viable timeline to project completion. This meant that I had sufficient time to work on my project every day, as well as extra time to get involved with other intern activities and fill out assessment details for HR and recruitment. The work-life balance at BP is excellent, and I always felt like I was doing just the right amount of work.

I was placed almost solely in charge of a project for the BP-ICAM, working in conjunction with the project manager at the University of Manchester. I did a broad literature survey of different types of surface technology, outlined potential business applications for BP, undertook a case study into a current BP process, and produced a report to be showcased at a workshop later in September. It was very exciting to be working on projects that you know are going to impact the future of the company .

I learnt a lot about time management and work ethic in a corporate culture that will definitely help me plan my work in the future. I've learnt a lot about an integrated oil company and its various divisions during my project, and this is extremely helpful as it tells me how chemical engineering is used in a large company, and the various different types of roles within the discipline itself. I picked up technical and scientific information from my project as well, something that will be addressed in chapters like Adsorption and Ion Exchange or Utilities Systems in 4th year. I've also developed better presentation skills and confidence during the course of this internship.

My floor was focused on research and technology, so the atmosphere was quieter. But the people were relaxed and calm, and it was a great atmosphere to work. People were constantly taking calls and attending meetings, so it was nice to be able to work in an area that showed activity, but also allowed people to work in the privacy of their own desks. Everyone was approachable, and we were encouraged to take breaks to keep productivity flowing.

From the application process to the end-of-internship review, the HR team have been very organized and have provided us with lots of support with applications as well as reviews.

The oil and gas market isn't doing very well in 2015, so perhaps there might not be many jobs in the company, especially in exploration and production. I'm not sure how prospects are going to pan out, but the market might pick up.

Definitely! There were formal dine-outs arranged, and Technofest competitions arranged for us. Informally, interns constantly kept in touch with other and joined each other for lunches. Over the weekends, small groups of interns would explore the city together or go for a meal. There were many opportunities to socialize with interns around.

London is a pretty expensive area, and to accommodate for this, BP provided interns working in the London area with a small location allowance to adjust for the higher cost of living in the city. Being from Manchester, prices were almost 40% higher than I was used to! It's still a great experience to live in London, so I would recommend it.

I'm not very current on the nightlife, but I heard it's good.

There were many intern committees to join such as setting up Lunch and Learns, getting involved with the BP Social Media Committee, or the Intern Newsletter team. I was on the social media team, and I had lots of fun covering many events so that the careers website could post them on Facebook and LinkedIn. There were also day trips and visits to different company sites such as those in Canary Wharf or Hull, and the opportunity to mentor a shadow for a day and teach them about the company and the roles available at BP.