Awesome place to work! - Internship Da Vinci Learning Employee Review

A truly lovely atmosphere. From day one you really get the vibe that people enjoy working here. The office layout is open and flowing highlighted by a large balcony overlooking the courtyard. There's normally always fresh fruit available in the kitchen and an affordable snack station. Numerous employees even hang out after work.

If you start here on an internship, try and avoid having your contract extension talks take place near year's end. It turns out they have a history of cleaning house in order to tidy up their balance sheet. The easiest/fastest way to save money is by letting people go. They informed me two weeks prior to my internship ending that I wouldn't be extended. About 4 or 5 others were let go around the same time. When I agreed to intern there, I was assured by all sides that it would almost definitely lead to a 1 or 2 year contract moving forward. I gutted out 6 months of a sub-par living wage just to be given the axe in the end.

What I loved about Da Vinci the most is that this place was build with a true mission, which is actually very rare in media companies. I loved working with company's educational content, and I believe that for people passionate about culture and science, this is a very big added value. Another plus of Da Vinci is quite a big freedom in making decisions and flexibility of a still not too big company. For self-driven people who want to try new things, grow and learn this means quite a few possibilities. I have definitely learned a lot in my time at the company, was given interesting opportunities and promoted, and could test my different skills. There is also a very good life-work balance. And last but not least - I had a pleasure to work with excellent colleagues and very skilled and reliable freelancers in my team.

One thing could be definitely improved, namely - processes. It did get better in my time at Da Vinci, but better organisation of work and responsibilities and clearer expectations could definitely eliminate stress, misunderstandings and any disappointments.