Anthony, Oxford, Maths & Computer Science
I was in my third year of a Maths & Computer Science degree at Oxford when it dawned on me that I couldn't spend another summer lazing around in the sun (or what of it there is in England) and that I should get some proper experience in the world. This decision was made in earnest in Hilary term, and I began to worry that I'd left things too late and that all the worthwhile businesses would have already filled their quotas. How wrong I was.
I attended a careers fair looking for summer internship positions, hoping to find something that would suit me. I talked to many company representatives with varying levels of enthusiasm for their jobs, and began to collect applications. It seemed it was going to take hours to apply to each one, until I talked to Ensoft, all they wanted was a CV, and they seemed far more upbeat and sociable.
Within a week I was already scheduled to have an interview, which, despite being my first formal interview since applying to Oxford to begin with, was surprisingly enjoyable. It consisted of having an informal conversation with one of the directors, another shorter interview, and a relatively quick test. It didn't take long for them to respond either, with my acceptance delivered in a swift and timely manner.
The 10 weeks I've spent here have been great fun thanks to the massively active social scene: Everything from karting (golden trophy sat proudly on my desk), barbeques, walking weekends and a multitude of pub trips were contained within my short stay, but also thanks to the fact I've had a rewarding and clearly relevant project to work on.
I've had plenty of assistance in the way of our managerial support team, in which at least one of the four was always available for any queries or coding questions I may have had, which has been incredibly helpful due to my non-existent python coding knowledge. The general atmosphere is also very laid back, allowing me to arrive 'Anytime before 10ish' and leave 'When you feel you've done a day's work..'
I happened to break my femur in a totally non-work related accident picking up a cereal box, and have been very impressed by the amount of care, thoughtfulness and general mockery that ensued. Despite having only been here 2 weeks at the time, I felt that the company had really gone out of their way to accommodate me, with regular visits from co-workers and (on my request) my laptop delivered so that I could continue to work from home.
In short, I've had an excellent time working at Ensoft, and would recommend the experience to anyone looking for a job in software engineering.