Junior Economist (Intern) Review

My work placement at 4CAST-RGE, a leading supplier of online financial analytics, was extremely enjoyable as I got to work on projects for a variety of departments (Editorial, Research, Sales...), all destined for difference client bases. This, combined with a comfortable and friendly working environment, has made the work placement a very pleasant and enriching experience.

To a great extent. The fact that 4CAST-RGE is a small firm allows you to get closer to colleagues from all departments. On top of that, the fact that I had tasks for more than one team meant that I worked closely on projects with people who are on a much more senior level. This is something that does not tend to happen in large companies. Being given important tasks also helps towards feeling valued by colleagues as the contributions to the company become more important.

I am given support by my supervisor to a very great extent. As we work together on a daily basis and, once again, as it is a small firm, I was told not to be afraid of overcommunicating. This was really helpful as I'm constantly encouraged (by all teams such as editorial and research) to always ask questions if I need a hand. This is particularly helpful as the handover period was quite short, meaning that I had little time to get up to speed with everything.

This depends on the time of the week, month, and year. Part of my work has to be done on a daily basis and part of it has to be done weekly. this means that once the weekly product is sent to clients, there are one or two less busy days. However, that only means that I'm less busy with editorial. I am often asked to work on projects for the research team. In addition, I must help update databases on a quarterly basis. This means that whenever I'm light on work from the editorial side, I always have some work from research (which tends to be more long-term) that can fill up my time.

I have been given a lot more responsibility than I thought I would get before starting my placement. A couple of days after starting my work at 4CAST-RGE, I was already responsible for creating and sending one of the daily newsletters that is sent to clients. On top of that, I'm responsible for the weekly newsletter, which takes considerably more time to create. On the research side of things, I have been involved in specific client-focused projects. This meant that the project I was working on was due to client request and would then be presented to them.

The skills I have developed will, without a shadow of a doubt, help me in my studies. Working for the Research team helps me directly with my Economics degree (especially for my Macroeconomics modules). Not only that, but working in Editorial will most definitely help me improve my essay-writing skills. That's a skill that will be crucial to writing analyses and research pieces in the future. Other general skills that I have developed are time-management and Excel skills. Excel skills will be particularly handy for future jobs, whereas the time-management skills will be helpful when I continue my studies so that I am more productive in my work.

The office's general atmosphere was quite calm, relaxed, and friendly. It was not completely silent, nor was it extremely chaotic. Colleagues tend to get along with everyone very well and share casual conversations/jokes. I thought this was quite a nice aspect as it means the office is not an intimidating environment for new interns. At the start of the year, the atmosphere was a bit chaotic for a month or so. Bear in mind, however, that the companies 4CAST and Roubini Global Economics had just undergone a merger.

At the beginning of my year in industry, the organisation was slightly poor. Once again, this was because 4CAST and Roubini Global Economics had literally just been through a merger. Many projects that were aimed for interns had been dropped but thankfully I was still a bit busy thanks to Editorial and Country Insights (a branch of the Research team). Things quickly picked up though. About a month into my placement, things already started to get a lot smoother as both companies started to become one.

The company has invested in me quite a bit. Personal training and development has come in a variety of shapes and forms. This has been in the form of educational lectures/meetings led by members of the research team, for example. In these meetings, they would cover topics from trading to portfolio management. There are also other educational meetings aimed mainly at the interns. These are more flexible in the sense that we can ask the speaker some questions in advance so we get whatever information we were looking for.

That remains to be seen as I am not sure that I will want to go straight into work right after I finish my undergraduate degree.

As the company is quite small, one cannot expect a huge social scene. That said, everyone gets along and, what is great is that, the social scene is not necessarily restricted to fellow placement students. It is not a company where interns are treated completely separately (like at most large companies). You will be treated as a regular employee and the social scene tends to have the interns and analysts merge together.

The cost of living was extremely high seeing as I was living in Zone 2 London. This was one of the major obstacles related to the job. Socialising is not a problem as there is a lot to do in of the most important cities of the world. However, expect high prices and expect to try to manage your money very carefully.

The nightlife is in London is amazing in the sense that there are events going on every single weekend with major artists performing in a large variety of venues and clubs. The addition of the Night Tube is extremely helpful for travelling around the city at night. That said, only clubs stay open very late. This means that everything else (Bars, etc) close very early (about midnight) from my experience in London.

Once again, London is a huge city and there are always things to do. On top of that, connections to travel to other parts of the UK are excellent as London is the main hub of the country. It is especially easy to get involved in activities outside of work if you are living in a student accommodation.