Assisstant Finance Analyst Review

The lasting memory will always be the people. Everyone was great and there was a real bond with everyone there. As my role required talking to people, nobody was quick to shut me down or try to shove me off. There was also a great unity with the other students and lots of socialising.

The work I was given was always relevant work that was making a difference to the overall objective. I got on amazingly with my team and we all spoke about professional and personal topics as well so we all really got to know each other. The rest of the people in the company got to know me fairly well and every greeted you in a morning.

Due to recent staffing changes, my line manager was spending a lot more time in meetings towards the final two thirds of my placement. Unfortunately, he was often not around when I needed guidance so had to ask other people in my team. Although they were as helpful as they could be, there were times when we had to wait for him to return from meetings, by which point everybody needed to see him.

Every day had a few daily tasks that needed to be completed, then there was also weekly tasks to add on top. Around month end there were many more routine tasks but since the majority of the tasks was dealing with queries from the business, the constant stream of them meant I was never bored!

After the initial couple of months, my team were able to trust me and left me to get on with my tasks. I was seen as the first point of contact for my team from the business and was expected to either answer the question or relay it to the relevant person in the team. By the end of the year I was working with temporary members of staff on a project that I was responsible for.

In my studies, we always see the hypothetical model where figures are readily available. The placement has shown me that even the simplest line item will need calculating so nothing is university level simple. The real impact is being able to apply the theories to my experience from my placement and understanding the pros and cons.

The office was split over three floors and we were on the middle floor. The floors did not cross over much so there was always a sense of unknown when speaking to people from a different floor! On my floor, even when everyone was stressed, people were still friendly and approachable which meant I had no problems doing my job. There were floor-wide social events three times a year and the majority of people attended them, showing how well everyone gets on.

The handover period was managed and delivered by the previous student, showing the belief put in them. Training was provided for the new students and everyone in the business knew when the new students would be starting. The timing of the new students was good as it was during one of the quiet periods for the company.

There were plenty of opportunities to take part in training. These courses varied from Health & Safety to Excel training. Every couple of months, a list was sent round with the upcoming training courses and anyone could ask to be put onto them, even the students. There were also monthly 1:1 chats with your manager so any problems can be issued there just the two of you, without anyone else present.

The market the company is working in is filled with uncertainty and turbulence. As a result, the company is being very caution with staffing levels and many people are there as temporary workers. There are staff members who were students on placements and have returned, showing that it is possible, however this normally happens only when the roles become available, not because the formality of employing the student after.

As there was a large group of students and apprentices, there was always something going on from birthdays to meals to full nights out. Everyone is put in contact early on so you make a connection with the students first. This helps as the student is the easiest way into each team when you are unsure who to ask. Even at lunch, students would sit together or with their team and there was never anyone eating alone!

Most of the students lived in Reading which is a 15 minute drive of a morning the work. The rent here was affordable compared to the wages and students could easily walk into the centre of town and explore all that was there. Trains are frequent and quick from Reading to London so that opens up an entirely new possibility for socialising.

There was nothing in the area around where the company was based, the closest area with pubs was Wokingham or Ascot. As the majority of the students lived in Reading, most of the nights out were in Reading where there is a wide range of clubs and bars to choose from.