Financial analyst Review

Throughout my placement, I was always in an environment when I was encouraged to enjoy the experience. I had a lot of support from many people to ensure I was happy in my role.

The biggest compliment I can pay to AMEX is that they value interns and placement students EXACTLY the same as any other member of staff. I had real responsibilities, my opinions, work and deliverables were valued just like anybody else's.

AMEX struck a great balance between guideance & support and allowing me to develop at my own pace, make my own mistakes and learn from them. This contributed immensely to the great skills I took from the year, both technical and soft skills.

It really varied depending on certain times of the month or projects I was working on. Even in really busy periods though, I was always encouraged to strike a reasonable work/life balance.

A lot! Far more than I expexted. This was daunting at first but once I was up to speed I could see the value I was adding.

Some technical skills I learnt from managers, directors and training courses I went on are really going to help. As well as being able to apply theory to examples in the real world.

Relaxed. Everyone felt comfortable to speak to each other which helped me settle in quickly. Obviously there were times were very busy and sometimes a little stressed but it never changed the atmosphere between us. This ensured that everyone was happy, motivated and felt they could speak out if they weren't happy about something.

Extremely well. I always knew when upcoming presentations were, well in advance which gave me the chance to prepare well.

I was constantly given the opportunity to continue learning and developing skills, both from other people with more experience and structured training courses. I was even taught skills that's I didn't necessarily need for my particular role but might need in the future. This really showed how I was valued and my colleagues wanted me to get as much as possible from the year.

Yes, we often met for lunch and went for drinks every few weeks. It was nice to keep seeing each other as we were all in different teams. We often discussed what was going on in our teams, things we liked/disliked about our roles and gave us a better understanding of the possible futures roles we might take.

Expensive, but it was central London so it is to be expected. I was certainly paid accordingly though which helped me to enjoy living in London rather than worrying about money all the time. Nights out obviously aren't cheap but they're definitely worth the extra money! Work aside, living in London is an experience I feel everyone should do even for a short time.

Excellent. Obviously in London there are so many events, festivals and venues to go to. I hardly ever went to the same place twice! As well as work colleagues, I had a lot of friends working in London on placements too so it was nice to catch up with them in a social environment. I really made the most of the weekends.