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I had a fantastic summer placement with BP where I was exposed to a range of business areas and was the given the opportunity to explore a range of environmental and social roles that I could pursue within the company. I was given real, valuable work to do which I could see the business impact of during the short, 11 week placement. In addition to enjoying the work I completed, there were a number of summer interns in the SE region and the social side of the internship was great - from organised social events by BP to just having someone to meet for lunch/coffee! I was also given the opportunity to go on a site visit near Edinburgh which was a fantastic experience!

It was easy to see the business impact of the work I completed during my placement - the report at the end of one of my Projects was passed on to HSSE senior leaders with very positive feedback! I could see how the work I was completing was helping the rest of my team with their day-to-day deliverables. It was made clear from the first day that I was expected to deliver quality work over the course of my internship and in return I received excellent feedback on my progress. From the very beginning I was welcomed and made to feel like a valuable asset to the team I was placed in.

My supervisor and line manager allowed me to be quite independent with my work but whenever I had questions or needed some extra support, they were nearly always immediately available and willing to help. This gave me the opportunity to problem solve and demonstrate independent thinking and application of knowledge to my Projects, resulting in a sense of ownership over my work. My line manager was also particularly supportive in helping me to explore potential roles within the company and helping me to expand my network in the HSSE community.

On an average day I was typically busy, but it never felt like my aims for that day were unachievable. My workload quietened down in the last few days of my internship as I began to tie up loose ends of my Projects. A typical day consisted of a progress meeting with my line manager or someone else in the team and some time to work on my deliverables. Each week I would typically attend a team meeting, a meeting with my BP mentor or have a chat with someone from a different area of BP. I increased my workload by volunteering to help organise the Intern poster presentation event. This was still manageable alongside my day-to-day workload!

I was given a lot of responsibility during my internship to manage my Projects and their progress on my own. I really felt as if I was given ownership of my work and as a result I felt a greater sense of responsibility with regards to the outcome. Support was there when I needed it but the work I completed truly was my own. I was placed in a small, yet senior team and so the work I was completing was both of value to them and to BP's Project teams globally.

I study Geology at university and so a switch to an Environmental Science (HSSE) internship was a big one! Whilst the technical knowledge I gained during my internship will not directly be applicable to my degree, they will be as I pursue a career in the environmental sciences in industry. Moreover, I was exposed to the culture in a large oil and gas company and transferable skills developed, such as presenting, communicating and working as part of a global team will be invaluable in my future studies. As part of the internship I participated in a presentation skills training session and then had the opportunity to put this into practice as part of the intern poster competition. I had the opportunity to present my summer's work to BP employees from a number of disciplines - a great way to practice communicating my technical knowledge!

Naturally everyone was hardworking and focused on their tasks - this isn't to say it was completely silent and there were chatty conversations throughout the day. It was a relaxed atmosphere, pleasant to work in and easy to fit into. Informal coffee areas on each floor, cafes and outside seating areas meant that there were plenty of options to have a more informal catch-up or meeting with colleagues.

The organisation of the internship was fantastic. The first few days consisted of group inductions for all interns. This was a great way to get know the other interns in a more informal setting before the real work began! Information on events, training and the internship assessment process were clearly communicated to me and I had no problem in finding out what was happening where and when. When I needed any further support, my line manager was great at pointing me in the right direction!

Most of the training I received was informal and on-the-job training. This worked well for me and was suitable for the short length of the internship programme (11 weeks). All interns were offered formal presentation skills training which was very useful and a series of 'Lunch and Learn' sessions organised especially for the interns allowed me to explore other disciplines in BP, including engineering and IST. The induction training at the beginning of the internship include teamwork, personality and resilience training which taught me a lot about myself and was incredibly useful during my internship.

The internship at BP is 'assessed' and graduate offers may be made based on your performance and a review process at the end of the internship. I have been fortunate enough to have been offered a graduate role with BP starting in 2017, which I could not be happier about. I had a fantastic internship experience which really consolidated for me that I want to work in a HSSE role in industry. A graduate job is not guaranteed and the number of interns and graduates accepted each year varies depending on the business need.

I study and live in London and so stayed in my university term time accommodation during my internship. Most of the interns who traveled from further afield, chose to live in shared accommodation together and so I would say that the 'typical' social experience was slightly different to mine. There were a couple of organised social events for interns included bowling, meals out, paint-balling and a drinks event as well as many nights out, day trips and meals that we organised ourselves. There were ~20 interns at my office and so the social side of the internship was fantastic!

London is an expensive place to live and socialise in and commuting from central London to the Sunbury site added to my transport costs! However, the internship was well paid and an outer-London bonus given to assist with living costs. This was more than enough to live off of quite comfortably over the summer and so your financial situation shouldn't be of any concern when considering an internship with BP!

Good - there are a number of riverside pubs and restaurants in Twickenham and Richmond (~10 minutes by train from the Sunbury site) perfect for a drink after work. You are close enough to central London to make the most of the nightlife that there is to offer and closer to home, Kingston makes for a great night out!

There were lots of opportunities outside of my work, including a charity volunteering day, the shadow an intern programme, a poster presentation competition, social events, sports clubs and a number of themed events in the main canteen. As part of the internship there were a number of additional committee positions available including organising the poster competition (which I was involved in), producing an intern newsletter, a social media campaign and organising social events.