Project Assistant Review

I have really enjoyed my placement. The BoE is a great place to work and there are many opportunities to develop your learning and find out more about areas of interest. There is a good work/life balance and a very supportive of network of people that you can turn to at any time. The HR support has improved over the year.

I feel that I am valued by my colleagues. I lead on a project and am therefore the person others turn to regarding this. my work has stretched over departments and I have interaction with many senior members of staff. I am given credit for my work and am happy within my team.

The support from my managers and senior management team was excellent. all were available if I specifically needed something and senior management in particular were keen for me to expand my knowledge and made time to help me with this. Guidance was varied at the beginning as all those involved in my project had left but the handover period at the beginning was very useful.

My workload varied and tended to have peaks and troughs on a quarterly basis. the majority of my responsibilities were due every quarter therefore there were times when I was required to work beyond my contracted hours to keep up with the work. there were other times when I had minimal work and this enabled me to attend seminars and training sessions to increase my knowledge.

I was responsible for running and communicating any progress on a specific project during my placement. this involved communicating with senior internal and external stakeholders and I was required to make my own judgements on any changes I deemed appropriate. other responsibilities were more supervised.

Although the placement was not directly related to my degree it is has been very helpful in developing my soft skills. especially in communication, both oral and written, with senior stakeholders and more generally dealing with difficult situations in a business environment. It has helped with my time management and ensuring I prioritise correctly.

My department was very friendly but the work was not particularly fast paced. Due to the nature of the work there was sometimes limited interaction with parts of the team. There was not really a social side. Saying this I really enjoyed working in my area and there was never any hostility towards anyone. Everyone was always happy to help if there were any questions

The placement was well organised. The HR team were varied but improved towards the end of the placement and information for the grad scheme was good. The HR team organised one social event at the beginning of the year for placement students. The induction by HR and my department was good. There was a good work plan set out for me but I believe it may be a bit more structured in the future.

There were many opportunities available for me to develop my soft and technical skills. Seminars were weekly and on a variety of topics. I was advised to book onto training that is in house and helps improve technical knowledge. There was eLearning if you wished to extend your own knowledge further. The department were keen for me to go on mini-secondments to other departments and meet with various people across the bank.

There is an offer of a grad scheme if you pass the assessment centre. The grad scheme is appealing an offers a central banking qualification. I would be very keen to be employed here in the future - the bank has a very supportive network and there are opportunities to showcase your work and abilities and progress internally.

Among colleagues there were minimal social activities apart from the Christmas party. This was more due to most having other commitments and children. There was a good social scene with placement students that was purely organised by placement students. HR provided one social event at the beginning of the year.

The cost of living in London and socialising in London is not cheap. Working near Bank especially there are some very expensive places to eat and drink! Many placement students spent the majority of their pay on living expenses due to the location of work. It is possible to get a travel loan to help with this.

Nightlife was good. As it is central London there are lots of places to go out and eat, drink and dance. With the added benefit of the night tube, getting around was very easy and there was always somewhere new to try.

There were activities outside of work at the Bank such as networks for Mental Health and helping charities but these were not publicised excessively. If you do wish to be involved in other activities it is entirely possible and due to the location there are clearly many opportunities in and around London that are also available.