Laboratory Scientist Review

My role is in genetic engineering. I have helped on a few projects in different teams and will soon get my own project. Daily tasks include doing different laboratory procedures to analyse DNA samples but can vary depending on what part of the project I will be helping out on. I also study my university course part time.

I have learnt many new skills, my laboratory skills improve everyday as I learn new procedures and get a better understanding of the task I am completing. I have also excelled in my presentation skills as I have given a couple of presentations, giving me more confidence as I receive more feedback and improve my ability to present each time.

An aspect that I find satisfying is when I am learning something new in my university course and I get the chance to use that theoretical knowledge and apply it to a real life scenario in the lab. I also like the apprentice community in the company as it is constantly expanding and I have the opportunity to help out in recruitment of new apprentices.

I feel like apprentices are highly valued, we have had a presentation from the site director just for apprentices and it made me feel like we are a big part of the company. They are also hiring many more apprentices in completely different areas which makes me feel like they really value us and see our potential.

I feel as though the programme is highly organised as they explain everything to us and we receive various inductions to ensure we know what to do. The university course is also very structured, each module is structured in weeks so we know what to study each week and we can assess ourselves to check if we are on target.

The training provider provides a lot of support, they have a whole team that are dedicated to apprentices. So we always have someone to contact in case we need any help. If I have any problems they will try and fix it as soon as possible. However I feel like more face to face time would be very beneficial.

I receive a lot of support from the employer as I have a wide variety of people I can turn to for help. I'm surrounded by professionals in what they do so if I ever need help in my studying I can just turn to them for help. And I have access to multiple sources of support for example my team, community of apprentices, cogent, HR team and others.

I feel like the salary could be better considering that a lot of people need to relocate for the first time and the living cost is very high in Cambridge. The travel cost to work is not bad as a commuter bus is provided which is free to employees. The food at work is also generously priced.

There are many opportunities outside of work. The company have many clubs for example the movie club and they also allow us to volunteer for the like of science festivals. We are also told about different activities within the area that we can go to and meet new people within the company.

Yes

It's a very friendly work environment and a lot of professional work here that are always happy to help and teach you something new. There is also a good support service to fall back on if it is ever required. They give you all the tools you require to be successful which is an amazing way to start your career.

Express your love for science in all steps of the application process. I also suggest trying to read up on the history of the company to get a better understanding of the company. Another thing is to relax during the interview even if it's your first interview they expect it to be for an apprentice and they try to accommodate that.