Network Engineer Review

My first role in operations was to answer calls from engineers and help support them through equipment changes. This would involve me remotely logging onto the piece of equipment they were attempting to replace and then talking through any alarms/warnings that i saw. I would also need to use systems to order replacement cards etc to site.

I have developed plenty of new skills as part of my apprenticeship. The roles require quite a lot of technical knowledge, especially as BT has lots of unique systems and technologies being used. Working with these and with engineers everyday has helped build my knowledge of these things it is a must when speaking to engineers. Along with this I have also developed my communication skills.

As you're brought in with a group of other apprentices, there's lot of day to day support and you build your own friendship group. This massively helps when starting a new job and you become close with all the other apprentices and you're with them the entire programme.

Depending on the role you are in this can differ. When in operations I did feel valued as I knew that my work was helping to restore connectivity to hundreds of people at a time. You would often get to talk to managers and they would be able to reaffirm the importance of your work.

The apprenticeship is quite organised. Every six months you rotate departments which means that you get a taste of everything the business has to offer. You get to experience different teams and how they work along with the various technologies being used by the business. For example, I started in an operational role and I am now working as a junior developer. This rotation works by you choosing an area you would like to work in from a list. Someone then sorts through this list and the applications and assigns everyone a place for them to work in for the next 6 months,

Every apprentice has what's called an apprentice coach who is responsible for acting as a person they can go to regarding any troubles they may be facing with work or university. They organise meetings every couple months where you can go to chat about anything which may have happened which you need advice on as well as hosting roundtables where a group of apprentices can bring up anything for discussion.

Answer same as above as BT is both our employer and internally handles our apprenticeship: Every apprentice has what's called an apprentice coach who is responsible for acting as a person they can go to regarding any troubles they may be facing with work or university. They organise meetings every couple months where you can go to chat about anything which may have happened which you need advice on as well as hosting roundtables where a group of apprentices can bring up anything for discussion.

The starting salary as an apprentice starts at £1100 a month, which is more than minimum wage. Each year of the apprenticeship this wage is increased by a couple hundred pounds and so the pay is very good for an apprenticeship. With this wage i am able to afford rent, running costs of a car and money for leisure.

Due to the size of BT as a company, there are plenty of opportunities for people outside of work. One of the main opportunities given to apprentices is that of school visits/fairs which you can go to to talk about the apprenticeship to kids at school. Everyone at BT gets 3 days a year to take as volunteering days so this never interrupts with work.

Yes

I would recommend BT as an apprenticeship to a friend because: you are given the opportunity to work in a variety of departments and teams; you are part of a community of apprentices with who you become quite close with and the pay is good for an apprenticeship. As part of the apprenticeship you also go to university and get a fully paid university degree.

In the application process I would encourage anyone applying to take time to learn about the various services that BT provides. Learning things such as their values also helps as it shows that you have a genuine interest in the company. It also always helps if you be yourself and try and show enthusiasm and confidence when answering any questions.