Experiencing a Software and Consulting Firm: Interning at Geolytix

Going into my internship at Geolytix, thanks to The 10,000 Interns Foundation, I had some sort of idea of the way in which a corporate consultancy firm operated, however my time here clarified that even further. The 6 weeks I spent constantly being exposed to the various projects the team were working on massively developed my understanding of how a company deals with multiple projects requested by clients. Being fortunate enough to assist in a few of these was a great learning experience as I was contributing to meaningful work, a truly amazing feat.

My journey began with a warm introduction by Sarah Hitchcock, the COO of Geolytix, earlier in May this year. The chat was informal (perhaps why Yorkshire accents was one of our talking points), however it was great to learn a bit more about what Geolytix do on top of what I already knew. I did apply to the placement the year prior to this and whilst unsuccessful, I do believe the location planning task I had to complete for the interview further broadened my perspective on the missions and objectives of the company. This meant that by the time I spoke to Sarah, I could already share the key fundamentals of location planning and spatial geography. A couple weeks later, I received an offer and the best part of this was that the preparation I did paid off!

My first day was on the 20th July, following a five-day holiday to Spain earlier in the month. I was kindly introduced to MAPP by Freddie: where I became intrigued by the challenge of identifying all the retail places I had visited on holiday. It was certainly interesting to see the spending data for Puerto Banus: and no, I was not surprised by the extremely high figures if you’re asking! Despite being a Leeds local, I’m a big fan of Manchester; hence why I spent time with both Chloe and Freddie exploring retail places in Manchester. One thing I really enjoyed was using the StreetView feature as it allowed me to visually explore the places I pass by on a day-to- day basis. During my first week, I was introduced to the concept of rooftopping. Little did I know, this would foreshadow a major project that the entire team would collaborate on towards the end of my internship.

I also assisted the data team in collating and improving the locations of several European retailer chains. Becca and Callum provided lots of support throughout this task, which was really helpful. This task allowed me to learn about the different methods for collating points of interest and ensuring high data quality.  I also tackled a complex matching task assigned by Sarah and Neil. It definitely required us to put all of our heads together, but thankfully, we were able to make some good progress a few weeks after starting! 

Throughout my time here, I have sincerely enjoyed the regular meetings, as they have allowed me to explore the distinct teams within Geolytix (shoutout to the data team for building the data used across the whole company). One thing that really blew me away was seeing such seamless cross-functional collaboration in action. There was a genuine culture of mutual support across all teams, which was incredible to experience. 

Unsurprisingly, another thing I have enjoyed is the team lunches, and I was treated to a few over the 6 weeks (I seemed to have started at the right time!) These meals gave me the opportunity to speak with everyone on an informal basis. I really appreciated how friendly, and easy to talk to everyone was. I would say I’m quite introverted, so being pushed outside of my comfort zone proved to be exceptionally rewarding; it is something that will sincerely benefit me going forward in my career. 

I’m big on faith, so I’d like to end it with a Bible quote in Ecclesiastes 3:1 that says “There’s a time for everything”. Whilst my time has come to an end, I am leaving with fantastic memories and an invaluable experience. I would like to thank all in the Leeds office for ensuring I felt welcome throughout my time here, it didn’t go unnoticed!  I would also like to thank Freddie and Max and Callum who, despite not seeing them as often as the others in the Leeds office, checked in and made time to talk with me across the 6 weeks. Finally, I would like to thank Sarah, and everyone else at Geolytix for making me feel fully integrated throughout my time here. I wish you all the best.

Author: James Teufa, Intern at Geolytix (August 2026)