Work Experience Student Review

shadowing business professionals sitting in on meetings looking into the daily routine of an average worker introduction to the different roles available in the company, from making pharmaceuticals, to those working in advertising and selling the products made by the company looked into a variety of different departments such as engineering, finance, science and sales and marketing, as well as global ethics/compliance

looked into the work done by ViiV Healthcare, which is a specialist company that has established by GlaxoSmithKline, and shadowing workers that work for them researched different global compliance laws, the reason they are put in place, and the impact they have on pharmaceutical development getting a first-hand experience of manufacturing in and out of the lab

i enjoyed it very much the programme had a clear structure and the programme leaders had clearly thought out a plan for students it was a very well organised placement, and there was always something new happening, or something interesting to watch the staff are very friendly and open to questions

very well organised students were given a programme schedule, with a list of events happening on each day there was often a choice of events depending on our personal preferences, students more interesting in business could shadow those departments, and those interesting in science (such as myself) could work with more healthcare based departments

the company culture is very much professional and well put together students are treated as professionals, and are taken seriously if they have any questions it would be very interesting to work for GSK as there are so many different departments, and they all come together to meet their end goal

it was very useful, although it helped me decide that I do not want to work in pharmacy, the whole experience gave me a realistic insight into what work such as industry would involve although it was not for me, I can appreciate the work that GSK does, and the process they have in place to do it

local travel was paid for up to £20, although I did not need this as I am eligible for free travel by bus food and meals were paid for up to around £10 in the company canteen although there was no direct pay, the experience was great regardless, and the ability to narrow down my career choices was more valuable

yes, students were free to talk to different people, and were given their emails and extension numbers at the end of the placement, should they need to arrange another placement or talk about their career choices further, as GSK offers a variety of apprenticeships. we were also given the contact details of people who were not directly involved with the placement from different departments if further work experience was wanted

Yes

there is a clear timetable to what will happen throughout your time there, and you can decide if the events will be helpful - you won't be going into the placement blind staff are also very professional, and offer experience in a variety of departments if you have other interests

apply early, and you'll get an answer back early! have an open mind, and look into the different roles GSK offers make good use of the contacts you are given to potentially develop your future career arrive early! it can be difficult to navigate your way around have fun, and enjoy your placement :)