Intern Review

Overall, I really enjoyed the placement. It was very nice to be able to actually enjoy coming into my place of work. I was made to feel welcome and also felt like I actually contributed to Standard Life through my project. The internship is very well organised which impressed me a lot.

Can't fault how welcome my team made me feel. I was included in everything my team did in and out of the workplace. I was invited on any nights out which made me feel very included.

I feel maybe that there could have been a little more guidance at the start of the internship but I think that is just my own personal experience and not what happened with most of the interns in general. It would have been good to have a bit more structure around the first couple of weeks in my department. It was a struggle for me to get started on my project because of this. Also I didn't receive much feedback during the internship which was a little disappointing.

At the start of the internship I was not really busy at all. The first couple of weeks were pretty slow but it did speed up after that which made things much more enjoyable. I think this has to be the way though so I 'm not faulting Standard Life for this.

The short answer to this is a lot. While there were people about to help me, I was given pretty much free reign with my project. I got to make a lot of decisions myself which again made me feel like I had a lot of responsibility within the company.

The skills I have learned will definitely help me in the future. I have found something that I am considering doing as a career which is a very positive outcome of my internship at Standard Life. I got a lot training in things that I've never done before which I can now take with me after the intern. It feels like they did tailor this internship for my needs to make sure it benefitted me as much as possible which is a very nice touch.

The general atmosphere was very relaxed. I didn't see much conflict whatsoever. Everyone had a great attitude when it came to solving conflicts within the office. I felt very welcome when I first arrived, everyone was keen to help and keen to answer my questions which was really nice. I asked a lot of questions during my time in the office to many people who didn't know that I was only an intern, everyone I approached was happy to help.

This was one of the most impressive parts of the internship. It is an incredibly well organised internship with great structure. I really can't fault it. On the first day, we spent the whole time socialising and mixing with the other interns. We were given some nice overview presentations about the company and how to get on well in the internship. I got bi-weekly meetings arranged for me with my stream heads which was great for keeping my goals on track.

The invested quite a lot. We were invited to personal development sessions throughout the internship which included sessions on Presentation skills, Finding our strengths etc. These helped a lot especially when it came to the final presentations and we had to present to everyone. I was disappointed a little with the level of personal training within my department but I understand that everyone is quite busy and it'd be hard to fit any sessions in.

Somewhat appealing. It is a great company but I'm not entirely sure its the way I want to go. If I found a suitable job that I liked within the company then yes, 100% I would take the job. The company are great at looking after their employees and I do really admire them for that. However I do feel like I haven't found something I love and am passionate about in the company just yet.

We all lived in the company's accommodation block which was great fun. There was loads of opportunities to go out and socialise. It felt like being a 1st year in halls again, which was a great feeling. It didn't long for us to all get along really well so we were never stuck for things to do which was lovely.

Edinburgh is known as an expensive city but I didn't think it is too bad if you're savvy about where to go. The accommodation was also paid for by the company which made it a lot easier to go out and enjoy yourself over the summer. The Fringe is also on during the internship and there's loads of free events and cheap tickets you can get for entertainment. There isn't a big supermarket near the accommodation which makes keeping living costs low difficult but if you're willing to walk a little more you can live on a relatively low budget,

The nightlife was fantastic. Before the Fringe it was good, lots of people go out on Friday and Saturday and there is a good buzz about the town. When the Fringe starts though, the place just explodes. It feels like the population triples in size and there's a real party atmosphere about the place. Great place to be in the summer.

Yeah totally, you're encouraged to take part in staff nights out. I was invited to all of them. There's clubs set up by employees that you can come along to, football , tennis etc. Also you're encouraged to volunteer for charity and welcome to take some time off work to help with volunteering.