Research Assistant Review

by Bank of England

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

2.7/5
  • The Role
    2.9
  • The Company
    2.3
  • The Culture
    2.8

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • The silence in the office and the nature of the work were not to my preference.

    3/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • Everyone is polite and friendly, but the very essence of the role is that you are there to do the menial data jobs that others do not want to do. You are also sometimes expected to drop everything for one person, or others often do not realise that you have lots of other work to do.

    3/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • Management are there to answer questions to which they know the answers, or to try and provide some guidance on how to find out for yourself.

    4/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • There were often time when there was far too little to do, but it was very difficult to be allowed leave, so I had to be at work just in case something came up. Other times it was incredibly busy, which could lead to some long hours. The worst times were when it was not busy, but you had to stay late just in case someone wanted you to do something.

    2/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • I didn't feel that I had great deals of responsibility in the work i was doing, but it was often pressed upon me that the work was of great importance (which is why it was so hard to take leave). So although the work didn't feel important, pehaps it was, as I wasn't ever able to take a whole week off!

    3/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • I developed very strong excel skills, as I use it every day and there are many courses available for improving knowledge. There is also a wide range of ways to improve your economic knowledge (if you have time) such as seminars, courses, the information centre and talking to analysts about their work. However, your ability to take this in may be hindered by being a division which covers work you've never studied before and/or will never study in the future. But, the 'work place skills' are definitely valuable, as you will always need these when working with others.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The silence is deafening. There is little/ not friendly chat and conversations are had in hushed tones.

    1/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • We had a variety of training on offer and a crossover with the previous student.

    3/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • The Bank was happy for me to attend courses and I even had a trip to Northern Ireland. So there was a lot of scope for learning.

    4/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Flexi Time

    Subsidised Canteen

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    Travel loan

    3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • I think that there is varying appeal across the Bank, and my decision not to return is based on my experience in my department.

    1/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • There was opportunity to socialise, including lunches and nights out.

    3/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • The cost to travel, buy lunch and socialise was what can be expected in the City of London.

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • Due to not living in London, and so having transport and cost issues, I wasn't always able to fully enjoy the nightlife myself. However, there is a lot of chocie in the area and surrounding areas.

    3/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • There are volunteering schemes that you would expect, and there may have been other things that I was not aware of.

    3/5

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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

Banking, Economics

London

May 2015


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