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Higherin

Graduate Electrical Engineer - Power Review

at BAE Systems

Graduate Scheme

Electronic and Electrical Engineering

Barrow-in-Furness

Review Submitted: May 2026

Overall Rating

4.4 /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!

4.5/5 - Overview of the Role
4.8/5 - Experience & Company Culture
2/5 - Recommendations & Advice

Overview of the Role

Overall, how would you describe your experience at BAE Systems?
Amazing, everyone is kind and helpful. The company themselves care for you and provide lots of benefits. Also the area is cheap, so your salary goes alot further than in other places.
What are the main responsibilities of the role and which elements of the role do you enjoy the most?
Site engineer, includes writing technical requirements, design reviews, solving faults.
To what extent does your role give you the opportunity to contribute meaningfully and feel valued by your team?
4/5
It was a slow start but after a year in, I get work which makes a real impact on the business. I won't give it a 4/5 just yet as there are bigger projects and more responsibility I could yet take on which will come only with time.
How does your compensation package - including perks & benefits - fairly remunerate you for the work you do?
4/5
Really good. obviously does not match some public sector discounts and benefits (e.g. pension, blue light) but it is probably one of the best i've seen for a private company (excluding what you may get in tech startups and stuff)
How well do you feel the role is preparing you for your future career?
5/5
They care and help push for chartership which is very important for career development. They also encourage you to do as much training as you want.
How would you rate the extent to which you were developing new or existing skills through formal training and your day-to-day role?
5/5
Every day is a day to learn something, If i am running out of work, i am encouraged to take online courses or book myself onto training courses. There is always support for me to go and get (NOTE: you have to be PROACTIVE on this, if you expect it to just come your way it simply will not happen).

Experience & Company Culture

How is the support you receive?
5/5
My line manager and team leader are very good, as we see each other almost everytime we are in office it is easy to have a chat with them. Also reachable when working online and are always open to any questions no matter how silly. A buddy scheme was there before I started at the company which help put my mind at ease. I have yet to interact with HR outside of timesheet issues which get solved very quickly.
How is your work-life balance?
4/5
Nearly perfect! 37h weeks meaning shorter days on fridays. Flexi working so I can start early and finish early. Ideal world is as always, 4 day working weeks.
The physical wellbeing for my specific job is good (i get to walk around alot on some days which is nice), they also provide help mentally (mental first aiders and also apps and other guides for mental wellbeing). Everyone is understand of these things from what I have seen so far from my limited experience.
What is the organisational culture, values and general atmosphere like?
5/5
My personal experience has been spot on, everyone is friendly on the whole. Remote working policies are good, the office culture is good. I feel included and that my opinion is usually wanted. I have only had a couple of occasions where I feel as if i'm being "ignored" e.g. they will email my line manager instead of me when a piece of work has been assigned to me, although this was fixed within minutes.
How would you rate BAE Systems initiatives when it comes to equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility?
5/5
Seems overall really good, haven't seen anything negative about it. They have modules which address this stuff too.
How would you rate BAE Systems CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiatives?
5/5
Very good, feels like there's always something going on to do with the community and charities.

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend BAE Systems to a friend?
Yes
Why?
Good pay, good location, good work-life balance (nearly perfect!), what we do is really cool. The only negatives I'd say is the start can feel slow, and I am a bit worried about what the pay will be like in a few years (job hopping is the new big thing for pay rises so will staying loyal pay off or not).
How well did the role match your expectations based on the recruitment process?
2/5
When i applied, I wasn't really told what I was going to be doing other than electrical engineering.
The interview flew by and I barely remember what we spoke about other than it went smoothly apart from the technical question which i got wrong :(
Even the lead up to the first day I had 0 clue what I would be doing. Even after the first week of induction I had no clue what I was doing.
Only when I finally met my team did I understand my role. It was not what I thought i'd be doing (don't get me wrong, I love what I do now, I just had no clue what it was going to be like!)
When considering the recruitment & onboarding process, have you any specific tips or advice you would give to others applying to BAE Systems?
Give it a go and do not be afraid! (one of the core behaviours is courage!). Read up on the company and make sure you check which AREA (as in part of country) you are applying for.
Also when you do apply, you can only make 1 application so make sure you select the exact place you want first time otherwise you may end up being accepted to somewhere you didnt think you would go! (note, if you dont get the exact location you want, sometimes they will pass you onto other locations so it isnt the end of the world).
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