Katie’s Year in Industry at Tonkin + Taylor

Katie’s Year in Industry at Tonkin + Taylor

Considering a placement year abroad? Hear what our students had to say.

Where did you complete your placement?

I was based in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand with Tonkin + Taylor (T+T), an environmental and engineering consultancy located across Australasia.

T+T are employee owned, and I think that really shines through. They treat their employees amazingly well and even though there are multiple offices throughout New Zealand, there is a strong sense of community with social sporting events, approachable staff and management, and the hot desking opportunities allowed me to get to know my fellow colleagues.

What work/projects did you carry out during your placement?

I was based within the Civil team but got to work with multiple disciplines during my time in the office as well as on site. When I was on site, I was involved in construction monitoring, quality assurance and Earthquake Commission assessments (i.e., when a homeowner’s property has been damaged by a natural hazard) which then required written reports.

My office-based work included a fluvial geomorphology project with the Water team, studying how rivers shape the landscape, and a few different geotechnical projects. I also got to help on a few ecology projects like a lizard relocation scheme which meant I got to see some cool native wildlife!

I also worked on landfill projects, looking at both the expansion of operational sites as well as inspecting and monitoring closed sites. Working on landfill projects made me reflect on how our waste management must be improved to help us build a more sustainable future.

How has the placement benefited you and what have you learnt?

I think having long-term industry experience makes you stand out in the employment marketplace. It shows that you care about working in engineering and are proactive. You also start to recognise the factors that influence how your daily work life, like your ideal company size and the workplace culture, which can be hard to know without having worked at different places. A placement lets you explore different options with lower stakes than committing to a graduate role in something you’ve never tried before.

Other than the technical knowledge, I gained a bunch of soft skills too. I learnt about workplace etiquette, how to interact with more senior team members and leads, and effective ways to present my work. Doing the placement has made me more confident in new professional environments and encouraged me to push myself out of my comfort zone.

The work I completed on placement also helped in my application for the RAEng Engineering Leaders Scholarship, which I was fortunate enough to be awarded. I plan to use the scholarship to research and organise visits to the best and worst waste management infrastructures worldwide, enabling me to implement what I learn into my work as an engineer.

Is there anything you excelled at that you didn’t expect beforehand?

I think my interpersonal skills really shone through. I made a lot of good friends and took on organising work events and extracurriculars.

I was also able to work my way onto a Tikanga course, a course about Māori culture, which took a lot of convincing as you usually have to be a resident to complete the course. I’m glad I persisted as it was super interesting! I learned fundamental ideas around sustainability, and how these translate so intrinsically into civil engineering, and picked up a few words of Te Reo (the Māori language)!

How would you sum up your experience? Any standout moments?

It was an incredible opportunity that allowed me to experience working in a consultancy. I had previously only had experience on UK construction sites, completing summer internships with Galliford Try as part of the Institution of Civil Engineer’s (ICE) QUEST Undergraduate Scholarship.

Though challenging at times, particularly during quieter work periods, or when feeling homesick, I had an amazing year. I met fantastic people, both in and outside of work, gained insight into a different culture and being paid meant I could do two big trips around New Zealand which was a huge bonus!

The intern day in Auckland was a standout for me. It was great to meet Kiwi students doing summer placements and hear the differences between our courses. We had team building activities throughout the day and a rooftop BBQ afterwards. The whole day showed how much T+T valued their staff in the early stages of their careers.

What advice would you give to somebody considering a Year in Industry?

Be bold! Look outside of general advertised avenues and see if you can get a chat with someone who works somewhere that you want to work, whether that’s in a specific company or location.

Even though it’s a chicken-or-egg situation, any experience that you can get such as site visits or shadowing opportunities helps a lot – the more experience you have, the more likely you are to get more. The University Careers Service also have some great resources on CVs and cover letters – check them out to help get started!