Software Developer Review

Overall, the work placement was very enjoyable. There were numerous opportunities to get involved in activities outside of my desk job such as charity fundraising, public speaking practice, other projects within the organisation and singing in the company choir.

My colleagues enjoyed my presence in the team and they were friendly and approachable which made me feel welcome and valued.

My supervisor was quite detached from my work. He barely made time to speak to me or give me feedback on my work. We did not have many meetings aside from quarterly reviews so there was not much guidance or support from management in that regard. This may have just been due to his personality and management style.

Initially I was reasonably busy. I took on a number of side projects and activities which took up some of my time when I had very little to do. Towards the end of the placement I was a bit bored as there wasn't much to give me.

At one point I was given a large amount of responsibility for one particular task but the nature of the work meant that for the most part I was working on a solo project and had to ensure I was making the right decisions for the work I was doing.

I had many opportunities to improve my networking skills as well as learning to self manage. I also gained insight on the financial industry and Japanese culture.

The atmosphere was very friendly and somewhat laid back which was surprising for an investment bank. There were a number of events set up to get interns to meet and get to know the other interns so it was easy to make friends.

It was very well organised. We had very well planned training during the first week and there were a number of sessions after we started our desk jobs. Communication with the recruitment team was very good from interview stages all the way through to the end. They organised catch up meetings to make sure we were settled in well and weren't facing any issues. The actual work is down to your manager/supervisor so this varies.

There were a number of technology training and information sessions which were free to attend. There is also an online learning portal with many training courses in finance that can be taken throughout the placement.

It depends on what you want to do. The individual teams and departments are very different from each other so prospects in one area are different in another area. Generally the other interns I spoke to wanted to return for the grad programme and a number of the grads had been interns before so it's common to return to the team you were in after graduation.

During the first few weeks we had a number of events set up by the company so that we could get to know each other. These included community events where we went and painted a large room in a community centre and a night of laser tag. They also have Thursday evening drinks where employees meet for drinks on the terrace. These were always a great way to socialise with fellow interns and other colleagues.

It was quite expensive as the building is right in the city.

I wasn't much of a nightlife person but the people who did go out, went out often and seemed to enjoy it.

Yes very much. Whether it was sports such as football, cricket, dodgeball or cultural such as learning Japanese, choir, charity fundraising or personal development including public speaking. There was always something to get involved in.