Intern Research Analyst Review

I did a two-month internship at the head office of the State Bank of Mauritius. I was in the Strategy, Research and Innovation department. I really enjoyed the work there. I worked mostly with the analysts. My tasks consisted mostly of collecting economic data, statistics and do research on various sectors which was enjoyable. I learnt new things about how the world of work is and also the various departments in a bank.

From the first day, I felt that I was accepted and everyone in the team came to meet me. I also felt that the other employees were at ease with each other. I was told to participate in their work, verify or proof read their writings. I never felt that I was only an intern and they were analysts. They helped me in my work at any point in time. They also encouraged me to be more open. The working atmosphere was very pleasant and on my last day, I was given gifts although I did only two months. There was a sense of belonging and at the end I felt that I was valued.

The Head of the team assigned me a set of tasks to do and explained in much detail which information to collect. The analysts then helped me as to the sources to collect the statistics and organise my work. He regularly asked how I was going about. He was very helpful and gave a lot of ideas.

I was pretty much busy on a daily basis. Every morning, I had to do Daily media watch which consisted of compiling all the projects and investments taking place in Mauritius and overseas and company news. In the afternoon, I collected data, statistics and did research work. I often helped the other analysts in their research. Sometimes, I was asked to do photocopies, scans or shredding. On some days, when I did not have much to do, I used to read financial newspapers and magazines.

For an intern, I felt I was given much responsibility. The daily media watch was, in fact, sent to the Chairman, Chief Executive officer of the bank, Team Leaders, analysts of various other departments. The information I collected would be used by the analysts in their further analysis and in writing of research works.

The skills I developed were mostly communication, leadership and achieving a sense of independence. I am now more comfortable to approach people in a working environment. The work I did will help me in my degree as I have Economics modules. I know which are the reliable sources to collect data from.

The atmosphere was very pleasant and nice. It was not stressful and the employees could go out for lunch, take breaks without having to take permission from any superior officer. Regularly, someone or the other would bring snacks, chocolates, biscuits and share with each other. Jokes were very much present. The Head did not pressurise the staff and allocated tasks in a fair way.

It was quite well organised. On the first day, the recruitment officers took our personal details and accompanied us to our respective departments. The tasks I had to do were well organised. There was a follow-up in whatever I was doing. All my work was checked by an experienced analyst. The internship was paid on time along with travelling allowance.

I was encouraged to attend trainings, discover the banking group and other departments and do things which I was not aware of before. For instance, I attended a Fraud Awareness campaign by the Fraud Risk department where I learnt a lot about the types of fraud and how confidentiality should be maintained in a bank.

The prospects seem very nice. With good qualifications and experience, one can aspire to have a successful career in the Bank. There are also lots of young recruits and promotion is quite common. The work is on a contractual basis which gets renewed every two year based on performance. I might consider to apply for another placement with them later.

The colleagues seem to socialise with each other quite often. They often go to restaurants during the day or during week-ends. They also plan various outdoor activities such as team building together. I also made good friends with two colleagues and we exchanged numbers so as to keep in touch. They would be available in case I need anything.

I lived at home. But relatively, the cost of living in Port-Louis is lower than in other cities. Food, clothing, general stuffs are cheaper.

In Mauritius, there are not many night clubs. People mostly come to the city centre to work and after working hours, the area is pretty quiet with fewer activities. During the day, there are various activities like shopping, eating, etc. There is a shopping centre nearby which has lots of shops and activities.

The bank gives free access to its leisure park to its employees. The staff can practise any sports they prefer, borrow books, do gym, aerobics, yoga. The bank also organises staff outings, children outings, end of year parties.