Internship Review at Morgan Stanley

The Role

Role Description

Working on Global Projects Team, so no daily duties but taking on workstreams from projects others on the team are working on as well as coordinating some smaller projects of my own. These ranged from Collating Training materials to training metrics to writing Executive Summaries for Industry White Papers regarding new product offerings to testing and rolling out reports/systems required for the bank to adhere to new regulatory reform.

1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

It was a fantastic placement with very varied and interesting work. Some of it was pretty challenging, which was thoroughly enjoyable, but some of it I didn't feel I was learning too much (which is to be expected when you're an intern!). I felt I was given good work to stretch my abilities, help me to learn and build on my skills, not fobbed off with work others didn't want to do, which was great. The best thing was the people I was working with: so friendly, welcoming and helpful and the hours weren't bad either.

2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

The people are what made this internship so enjoyable. They were very welcoming and more than helpful which made me feel comfortabel. Thus I was able to ask lots of questions and learn quickly so that I could take on more challenging work. They were very sociable and fun too.

3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

I was able to ask for help from anybody at any level on my team or the teams around me, as well as from my mentor who was on a different team, and of course from HR. My manager, and other more senior members of staff, frequently caught up with me to find out how things were going and what they could do to help.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

It was difficult in the first week or so when I didn't have enough project work to take on any real bits of work but as soon as I had a solid grounding I was given big chunks of work to get stuck into, and because its project work you manage your own time and workload entirely by yourself.

5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I was able to own all of the work I was given and given my own projects to take on that were circulated to senior management and produced work that was sent out globally. The testing for some of my projects relied entirely on my input and I provided Holiday Coverage for some tasks for a member of staff during my time here.

6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Although this placement won't help me with my degree at all it has definitely helped me to develop personally. From learning to deal with difficult people to getting the best out of people and making sure that you are addding value to a team. Learning time management and how to prioritise your work to meet your deadlines was another major skill that I developed greatly during my time here as well as how to build relationships with colleagues of all levels within the organisation.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Whilst everyone did work very hard there was always noise and conversation and stopping to have a chat was always acceptable. There were team drinks and division drinks and quiz nights etc quite often and everyone was very friendly.

8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

The induction training was impeccably organised and when I got to my team my manager was very organised ready with training materials and resources. There were lots of extra talks and some evening activities for the interns as well.

9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I feel that quite a lot of time and effort was spent helping me to develop personally, with lots of target setting/reviewing, and noting strengths and weaknesses, one-to-one chats with my manager and team meetings to go through acheivements and check you're managing your workload as well as self evaluation tools to help you realise some things for yourself. The training in terms of the product was also very good and made easily available.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

• Subsidised Canteen
• Subsidised/Company Gym
• Financial Bonus
• Company Parties/Events

11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

I would most certainly come back and work for this company again: mainly because I love the culture here. It is one that fosters growth and development and helping others to achieve what you have already managed yourself.

Other Information

12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Everybody was great fun, socialising almost every evening and even on weekends with lots of different things from bars to restaurants to the cinema to bowling to sports. I couldn't have asked for a better group in terms of personality and social ease with regards the other interns. Everybody was very likeminded, friendly and a lot of fun.

13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 4/10

It was quite expensive but not extortionate. But, you must bear in mind the salary you're earning was more than enough to cover socialising and living quite extravagantly during your time here.

14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Lots and lots of bars all open and packed after work, and not too far on the tube into central London that is packed with any sort of nightlige you could ask for.

15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Plenty of opportunities and I'm sure more would have become apparent if I was here for longer.

In addition to these questions, is there any extra information you would like to leave about your experiences on your work placement that other students may be interested in?

It is definitely well worth applying for, you will learn so much about yourself, the banking industry, the pace of life of working in the city, the social side of working in a large office, the benefits of working for a large multinational firm etc etc. Its quite intense but its short enough that you can keep it up and its definitely a lot of fun. If I had my time again I would most certainly not miss this opportunity.

Review 214/214 for Morgan Stanley

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