Science Discovery Intern Review
at BAT
Placement (10 Months+)
Science
Southampton
Review Submitted: June 2024
Overall Rating
4.5 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
3/5
-
Overview of Role
4.8/5
-
Skills Development
5/5
-
Support and Guidance
4.3/5
-
Company Culture
5/5
-
Overall Experience
4/5
-
Future Career Prospects
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis.
I mainly do general literature research and planning and execution of human effects studies. There is some wet lab work also, which has involved cell culture and compound analysis. Day to day involves meetings to discuss projects and write-ups of findings. There are collaborations within the team but also externally.
Were you given much responsibility during your placement / internship?
Yes, I led my own end-to-end project which started from the planning stages and finished with results presentation. This was very supported by my team but overall was my responsibility at each stage to organise and set up.
Please rate how meaningful the work you were doing was
3/5
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills, or developed your existing skills?
I have significantly developed my presentation skills, as the placement program has encouraged monthly presentation practice. Additionally, networking is a big thing at BAT so this has been helpful in widening connections. Other soft skills like organisation and time-management have been improved through balancing work load and ongoing projects, but also technical skills like cell culture have been developed.
How would you rate the training provided during your experience?
5/5
How would you rate your development of industry-specific skills during the experience?
4/5
How would you rate your development of personal / soft skills during the experience?
5/5
Please rate how these skills have helped you in your career development
5/5
Support and Guidance
How much support and guidance did you receive during your placement / internship?
So much! My manager and buddy (you receive a dedicated buddy) have been amazing with any questions and general support. My team was also super friendly and welcoming. There's also a full placement team who're there to help with anything going on, but specifically have helped me with placement-related tasks, and will find out anything you need to know, as well as help you grow a network. You also get a mentor.
How would you rate the support and guidance from your line manager?
5/5
How would you rate the support and guidance from the wider team?
5/5
Company Culture
What was the company culture and general atmosphere like?
Overall very friendly, there are some issues like you'd get at any big corporation, but nothing that ever affected me negatively. From personal experience everyone is lovely, and its really nice walking across site and always having people say hi and ask you how you are. The canteen and costa on site also promote a friendly, relaxed environment for when you need a break from work.
How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?
5/5
How would you rate the social opportunities?
4/5
How would you rate the diversity initiatives?
5/5
How would you rate the charity, sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives?
3/5
Overall Experience
To what extent did you enjoy your placement / internship?
I have enjoyed my placement because I feel like I am returning to my final year of uni with valuable and applicable experience. Also, the culture is hugely important to me and here the people around me were always super friendly and made the office an enjoyable place to be. I never felt overloaded or too stressed and knew there's always help available. Also the networking (and LinkedIn growth!) has been amazing.
Please rate your level of enjoyment on your placement / internship
5/5
Please rate how your experience met your expectations
5/5
Future Career Prospects
Please rate the future employment prospects at BAT
4/5
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend BAT to a friend?
Yes
What advice would you give to others applying to BAT
Just be your best self- friendly and open to having a chat (technical and non-technical) seems to be the best approach! They don't expect you to know everything because of course a lot of things are learnt on the go, but be prepared with what you've learnt from uni/past experience and any research on the company.
