Associative Software Engineer Review

I am an associate software engineer. My daily tasks are mostly programming. My daily interactions are meetings I have with my team and line manager. I do not tend to interact externally. I am responsible for producing quality code to a certain deadline. I cannot tell you the projects I am working on but they are all Java projects. I have explained what I do every day.

Yes. I am currently on a 3 year Software Engineering course and at the end of it I will have a foundation degree in software engineering. Internally I have completed various pieces of mandatory training and accredited learning pathways. Externally I have been able to do some online courses. I have improved my personal skills through interaction with work colleagues and I have improved my professional skills as I have become much better at programming. I have learnt how to program in Java, Groovy, Gradle, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Bash and more.

I very much enjoy the work I do and it's better than what I was doing before this. My team are really friendly so that is better than I expected. The company culture here is good. I think it did meet my expectations because I had already had some work experience here. I am enjoying my apprenticeship program.

I feel very valued here. My line manager has graded me well this year and tells me what I am doing is important. Internally I have received a number of rewards cards for the work I have done here. I haven't received any external recognition because I do not work with external customers. I am leading my own project so in that respect what I do is very valuable for what I am needed for. I do not think I was valued as much before I joined BT.

The programme is very well organised. The induction was very structured and enjoyable. The training I have had has been minimal but it was sufficient for what I do. The support I get varies depending on what I am working on and how much knowledge the rest of my team has for it. We get one uni day a week and one study day a week so I have plenty of time to do my uni and NVQ work. Every two weeks I have a meeting with my line manager and every 3 months I have a meeting with my apprentice coach so I get a lot of support in that regard. Task delegation is not so organised because of the fluidity of the work we do. The team hierarchy at BT is very clear to me. And overall I believe the programme has been well organised.

My apprentice coach is always available to me for questions and advice. There are various ways I can get support at BT so I am never worried about accessibility of support. It can be hard to get guidance for some problems simply because what I do is cutting edge and there is not always the knowledge at BT to help me. People at BT are very positive about helping others. I've enjoyed getting support from BT.

My manager has bi-weekly meetings with me where I can discuss any issues I have. The HR team is also accessible during working hours if I have any HR related issues. My mentor has regular 3 month meetings with me to check on how I am getting on. Support is easy to get at BT and there are lots of people to go to. Guidance is good but sometimes it is hard to get because what I am doing is new work. People at BT are very happy to help others because there is a good work culture.

I am living with my parents so I have low living costs currently. I live close to where I work so I normally cycling in and therefore have little to no travel costs. When I have to travel to London BT pays for this on expenses. My daily costs tend to be nil unless I choose to buy food at work which isn't too expensive anyway. My personal social costs a not very high currently. I certainly have more money than I did when I joined BT. The location I live in is not too expensive.

There are a small number of company events but these tend to be in work hours. There are company activities but they are few and far between these days. The only activity I have gone to was the floor's Christmas party. BT is good for volunteering. I have been to various schools to help with teaching programming and robotics and they have come on to sites to do events as well. This ties in with helping the local community. We do have some classes where members of the team present on a topic of interest. The location I live in is good for things that go on outside work and at BT we have a gym and extensive sports and leisure facilities which I make use of regularly. When I wasn't working I essentially did volunteering and job hunting as a full time job but I did have more time for outside activities.

Yes

BT gives a very competitive salary for very rewarding work. It is especially good if you have an interest in computing but no previous experience is required. I would definitely recommend BT to a friend.

The application process changes every year but I would recommend getting in your application as soon as possible. On the assessment days you need to appear confident but you have to back that up with intelligence. Make sure that in group activities you speak up and present ideas. I you don't appear to contribute you will not get through. If you have to present on a topic on the day make sure you have researched it before hand. Consider whether it's been done already and if possible tie it in with BT's ethos. In the interviews you will be interviewed by someone who will be in the team you are joining. Try to come across as someone they would want to work with. It's hard to get work experience but it's very useful when you are asked why you chose BT. I was well prepared for my interview but I would have liked to know what they were looking for in the group activity beforehand.