This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
I have thoroughly enjoyed my whole year at World First and could not fault it at all. I felt extremely welcome from the moment I walked in the door and despite being a globally successful company, the work force is very close. I have been given a huge amount of responsibility and have had the opportunity to meet some important figures in the company. I have made some real friends this year that I will truly miss!
I have definitely felt valued not only by my team but by people throughout the whole company. I was encouraged to express any ideas I had which have been implemented to improve the processes we use. I was given great feedback after my first month in which I was told I had exceeded expectations and they wanted to give me more responsibility. This was something that happened throughout the year and my manager was great at giving praise where necessary.
The support provided by management was excellent. I had monthly meetings with my manager to discuss my progress and set multiple goals that I could work towards throughout the year. It was made clear who my point of contact was and that I could approach him with any issue however big or small. I was also offered multiple training programmes such an as Excel course in order to support my development.
I never felt overwhelmed with the amount of work I had although the financial markets industry can be very volatile and some days would be a lot busier than others. On some days I certainly felt as though I could take on more work but this gave me an opportunity to complete some more training such as my ongoing Excel course.
From day one I was given a lot of responsibility which only grew as the year went on. After 6 months I was responsible for ensuring our private clients paid on time which was a big responsibility especially when a financial loss for the company could be involved. I was doing the same work as all the graduates in my team which just shows how comfortable World First were with giving me responsibility.
One of the main skills I have learnt is how to deal with clients on the phone. This was not something I was too comfortable with before I started World First but with a lot of practice and training I have become really confident and it became my favourite part of the role. I have also completed an excel course provided for by the company which is a really valuable skill for life. We also have an in-house economist who gives us morning updates regarding the markets and what he expects to happen throughout the day and this will be really useful for my degree.
The Company
The atmosphere in the office is great at World First! There is always a buzz on the floor and the phones are constantly ringing. Teams talk to each other across the desks and the dealing teams even hit a gong when they make a big trade! Every Friday at 4.30 they open the beer fridge so teams can interact over a drink. On Tuesday's they have a chocolate trolley which allows new members of the company to introduce themselves. It is certainly a great environment to work in.
I was the first ever placement student at World First so it was hard for them to know what to expect. The placement scheme was definitely well organised however the did underestimate how much work I could take on and so ended up giving me more than originally planned. World First have also learnt a lot about the year and how to improve the preparation for the placement scheme so I know they will be extremely prepared for future students!
The company certainly invested in me providing me with a lot of opportunities to develop my skills. I had numerous training sessions when I first started including phone training, how to deal with difficult customers, presenting skills and Excel skills. We were able to suggest what training we wanted to aid our development and they made every effort to try and provide this for us.
Sports and Social Club
Financial Bonus
Company Parties/Events
Healthcare/Dental
Travel loan
I would definitely go back to work at World First. I have really enjoyed the whole year and feel like I really fitted in with the culture at World First. They certainly seemed keen for me to return due to the time and effort they have put into developing me this year. As a company, it is only growing bigger and that is something I would love to continue to be a part of.
The Culture
As the average age of staff is quite low, there is a really good social scene. We had drinks after work every Friday and 2 team nights out that were fully paid for by the company. We also have a Christmas party, a summer BBQ and a summer party which are all great opportunities to interact with other people in the company
Expensive however you get a good wage to cancel out the cost of living
I worked in the London office which is between Westminster and Pimlico so the nightlife was pretty good! You can get anywhere in London from here so the possibilities for a nightlife were endless!.
Absolutely. There are many activities that you can get involved with at World First. I joined the World First netball team and the mixed touch rugby team but there are so many more opportunities such as a football team and there was even a charity visit to Uganda that the company helped fund for staff that wanted to go and make a difference. Aside from the sport there are also many social opportunities including a huge Christmas party and summer party.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
London
July 2017