Software Development Engineer Apprentice Review
at Amazon
Degree Apprenticeship
Software Engineering
London
Review Submitted: April 2025
Overall Rating
1.9 /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!
2.5/5
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Overview of Role
3/5
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Skills Development
1.6/5
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Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
3/5
Mostly programming for my team, coding personal projects, writing documents etc. This depends on the team and organisation. Sometimes opportunities for coding have been lacking due to the team I was in.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
2/5
Managers seem not well-informed on the how apprentices need time and space for learning. Expectations of how much an apprentice should be working is very high and does not meet the suggested 80% work 20% study split. I have felt mostly overwhelmed and disappointed with my experience.
Communication from the apprenticeship team is very poor, apprentices seem to have to figure problems out themselves. I did not feel supported by the apprenticeship team during my time here.
Communication from the apprenticeship team is very poor, apprentices seem to have to figure problems out themselves. I did not feel supported by the apprenticeship team during my time here.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
3/5
Developed my programming skills and learned new coding languages. Learned how to write documentation and communicate with team in a development environment. Learned how to work in a professional setting. Most of this was learned through help from colleagues and trial and error.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
1/5
The training provider has been poor at communication. Multiple uni lectures have been cancelled, rescheduled and sometimes tutors have not shown up. Most workshops feel badly explained / not straight to the point and I have often felt my time better spent teaching myself the content.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
1/5
Support from Amazon seems heavily dependent on manager. Generally, my experience has shown that most managers expect the work of a full-time software developer from an apprentice. This has been very pressurising and overwhelming alongside balancing university work.
The apprenticeship team seem more focused on other things than helping meet the needs of apprentices. Little to no support despite having reached out. Most of my problems have been figured out thanks to kind fellow apprentices and mentors.
The apprenticeship team seem more focused on other things than helping meet the needs of apprentices. Little to no support despite having reached out. Most of my problems have been figured out thanks to kind fellow apprentices and mentors.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
1/5
The training provider standard seems very low. I am sure there are apprenticeships out there with better experiences. Feedback for assignments is not marked anonymously and sometimes seems AI generated. QA sometimes takes days or weeks to respond to emails. Workshops have often been delayed/cancelled last minute.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
1/5
Unfortunately, most of the learning I have had has been thanks to help from colleagues. Only the two software engineering related university modules seem to be directly related to my role.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
4/5
Amazon has a lot of social activities that can be joined, meeting many different kinds of interests.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Amazon to a friend?
No
Why?
Unfortunately, the only reason I would recommend Amazon as an apprenticeship is because it looks good on a CV and for the above average salary. My experience has been very up and down but mostly stressful and overwhelming due to the lack of support from management and the apprenticeship team. That being said, I am very thankful to have had this opportunity and for the kind, helpful colleagues and mentors I met during my time here.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Amazon?
If you get the opportunity to work at Amazon, then go for it. It is a great opportunity. I would advise not getting hopes up with the level of support you receive and be prepared to be proactive about getting help/changing the situations you may end up unhappy with. However, I am sure there are apprenticeships out there with companies that create a much better learning environment for apprentices.
