Good startup - User Researcher Ctrl Group Employee Review

Hip office in Shoreditch area with a pretty website.

Dysfunctional, struggling startup with very high staff turnover. Relies entirely on interns and hiring inexperienced staff: often straight from university, people who have changed fields or have moved country. These are people who don't know their worth, and don't know what a normal, healthy work environment looks like. It usually takes new hires a few months, or perhaps a year or two to wise-up, realise what's happening, and promptly move on to greener pastures. The two directors don't have a background in science/health/tech so it's hard for them to lead/manage people who do. Junior staff with nobody to learn from also adds to the lack of career growth prospects. Still in startup mode after about 7+ years, so staff feel the constant pressure of financial worries about the company's future. Ctrl Group is the sister company of 2 other struggling vanity-projects in the same office, Science Practice and Eclipse. Hipster coffee doesn't make up for self-absorbed, egotistical directors with zero mangement skills and zero HR.

great company enviroment, very nice people to work with that are passionate about the industry. while i was an intern i experienced all sides of penetration testing such as internal, external network testing, web-app testing, social engineering and a little over the SOC and policy. shadowed and assisted other pentesters in engagments conducting the basics in the beginning and slowly learning more and more as i went. in that way they are good mentors and i learnt alot while working there.

at times i did feel that i was left alone to work on certain things i didnt quite understand at the time however this may also be due to my lack of experience in the field at the time and overall they were helpful when i asked for assistance with something.