Mechanical Engineer Graduate Review
at BAE Systems
Graduate Scheme
Mechanical Engineering
Portsmouth
Review Submitted: November 2025
Overall Rating
3.1 /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!
3.3/5
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Overview of the Role
3/5
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Experience & Company Culture
3/5
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Recommendations & Advice
Overview of the Role
Overall, how would you describe your experience at BAE Systems?
initial welcome was good getting the whole cohort of grads together for 2 weeks to introduce them to the business, after that we dispersed into our relevant teams and the experience varied massively
What are the main responsibilities of the role and which elements of the role do you enjoy the most?
initial role assisting with obsolescence queries, learning ships systems and how frustrating the defence sector can be.
later given more responsibiity to lead the development of a chilled water interface for new equipment to be added to the ship, involving discussions with multiple disciplines and senior stakeholders
later given more responsibiity to lead the development of a chilled water interface for new equipment to be added to the ship, involving discussions with multiple disciplines and senior stakeholders
To what extent does your role give you the opportunity to contribute meaningfully and feel valued by your team?
4/5
the work is key to the successful integration of the equpiment our project is developing, the recognition for this level of work is not as much as hoped
How does your compensation package - including perks & benefits - fairly remunerate you for the work you do?
3/5
very limited bonus's and rewards packages, and not standard rewards even within business units.
salary is good while on scheme but is low when coming off scheme
salary is good while on scheme but is low when coming off scheme
How well do you feel the role is preparing you for your future career?
3/5
good responsibility within the team, very limited exposure to wider business, limited development oportunities out side of immediate team
How would you rate the extent to which you were developing new or existing skills through formal training and your day-to-day role?
3/5
day to day role is good for development but formal training is minimal
Experience & Company Culture
How is the support you receive?
3/5
line manager is keen to help progression but will not do anything without HR approval.
HR, mentors and early careers team do very little to support the wider early careers group
HR, mentors and early careers team do very little to support the wider early careers group
How is your work-life balance?
4/5
What is the organisational culture, values and general atmosphere like?
3/5
hot desking is the worst thing ever, and the culture of expecting all projects to take a minimum of 10 years is painful to work with
How would you rate BAE Systems initiatives when it comes to equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility?
2/5
BAE is going way too over the top to be seen to be promoting DEI, with lots of employee groups for every diversity group, but does little to nothing to support their main workforce of men other than tell them to be more inclusive.
How would you rate BAE Systems CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiatives?
3/5
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend BAE Systems to a friend?
Yes
Why?
big company, easier to transfer jobs internally than finding new ones externally
How well did the role match your expectations based on the recruitment process?
3/5
only working on one class of ship not multiple as suggested by the job description
When considering the recruitment & onboarding process, have you any specific tips or advice you would give to others applying to BAE Systems?
do a placement year, only 10-20% of graduates joining the scheme are new hires, everyone else has already worked there before
