Finance Intern Review

It was my first job in an office environment, which was altogether a new experience for me. The site in which I was based had a very close environment by which a number of teams had to work hand in hand, enabling me to work outside of just my Finance team but also interact with operations and others teams within the business.

For what I believe was not the greatest of starts to the role, I gradually gained knowledge and grew into the role. Coming towards the end of my internship I can say that I have accepted accountability for a number of areas within finance, and I can often be drawn upon from other teams if they need help or have any questions.

Due to how small the team was, there was not a lot of time allocated to myself. Due to these time restrictions, I was usually having to understand operations myself or refer to any process maps that were available (if they were available). However, as I adapted into the role, I managed to take on a greater range of work, which was generally explained very well.

I do not remember a day at the place of work where I wasn't busy. I have always had something to do, whether it be within daily tasks or ADHOC work. At month end when financials were due this would generally be the time when I would be most busiest as I would have to assist greatly in making sure that the financials were sent to corporate on time and were also correct.

My responsibility has grown over time. To start off with, I was given a limited amount of responsibility, but as soon as my manager and other peers understood my capabilities I was able to take on a greater number of tasks which also came with greater responsibility. I believe that with my workload, I could not probably have taken on any more responsibility.

One of the most important skills that I have found to have is that of team work within the work place. As generally I would not be confined to working with just the one team (finance); but to many of the different teams operating on site. This would generally work hand in hand and would often help the flow of information needed.

When I first arrived the atmosphere was very nice. The people there were very welcoming and helped me to adapt in to my new role. Whenever I had any questions, there would always be a helping hand that would try to get you an answer. Furthermore, the people in and around the office created a warm atmosphere that would let you to thrive in your job, and also to have a happy experience whilst also getting your work done.

Due to the situation of the placement, there was not all that much time to plan out my placement in the beginning. I believe that it was due to time restraints, but once the internship went on and we started to get a little more time; we could work through what was needed and organise to a greater extent.

I was not based in one of the main offices within GE, but I still felt parts of the company from time to time. I did not feel as though the company had fully invested in me as an intern, but I believe that this would happen on their graduate schemes or possibly when you get a full time job at the company.

I do like the look of the graduate scheme at the company. the company has many different grad schemes throughout the company, where it includes travelling to 3 different places for 8 months at a time with many benefits. I believe that they are highly competitive due to the scheme having so many benefits running along side it.

The general atmosphere was quite professional between colleagues. There was a football "kick about" that was organised by one of the members of still from a different department. I managed to get involved in this early on but due to short numbers, it stopped towards the end of the year. Furthermore at the end of the year we had a year end meal between all staff which was a good way to meet everyone on an informal basis.

The cost of living was generally what I expect from living outside of London. The prices are not too far from what you would expect to pay as a uni student. But as you are being paid for the internship it helped a lot, so that you could afford a lot more of what you would want.

I did not generally go on nights out in the area in which I worked. The only time I ended out was with the team at the end of year meal. It was a different experience for me to go around a town that I never had been around before, but the nightlife was quite enjoyable, with a very relaxed atmosphere.

The general atmosphere was quite professional between colleagues. There was a football "kick about" that was organised by one of the members of still from a different department. I managed to get involved in this early on but due to short numbers, it stopped towards the end of the year. Furthermore at the end of the year we had a year end meal between all staff which was a good way to meet everyone on an informal basis.