Summer Intern Review

by Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)

Best Student Employer

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.9/5
  • The Role
    3.8
  • The Company
    4.1
  • The Culture
    3.8

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I thoroughly enjoyed my work placement at the Financial Conduct Authority. I was exposed to a wide variety of work streams and projects within my department and had the opportunity to work with different teams to get a wider perspective of how the department works as a whole. I was also able to complete work shadowing in other departments and even do a “swap” with another intern for a day to gain further knowledge of the organisation.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • My colleagues could not have been more helpful. They were always available to answer my questions and made as much time as possible to answer them. I felt like my opinions and suggestions were all taken as seriously. When there were times that my knowledge was limited on a certain topic everyone made time and were happy to explain things to me.

    5/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • My team leader was my first point of call with any queries I had; he was very helpful and very accommodating. He encouraged me to organise meetings with our team and people in other departments to further the work that I was doing. Even my Line Manager made herself as available as possible for 1-1 meetings, reviews and general chats. I had a one to one meeting every Monday afternoon to have a more formal check-in on how I was doing and the work that I had on that week.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • As I worked on various work streams within the department I was always busy and had things to do. The internship taught me a lot about how to prioritise as I had to manage the deadlines with the varying levels of urgency of my work. If I did ever run out of work I had a couple of individual projects to complete before the end of my internship.

    4/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • 3/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • 3/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • Within my department there is a very positive and friendly atmosphere. There is always something happening, with people often discussing their work and asking others for their advice. I think the atmosphere differs across the organisation depending on the nature of their work and whether they need a quieter working environment.

    5/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • The internship is very well organised. We started the process with two and a half days of induction where we were introduced to the other interns and given a thorough but brief overview of what the objectives and principles of the Financial Conduct are. It also included training from Kaplan on the different types of workers and ways to interact with people to gain results. During the internship itself you have two appraisals, an interim and a final appraisal which help you find out how you are doing and how you can improve.

    5/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • My manager was very keen for me to see as much of the organisation as possible. This meant that I had a lot of opportunities to do work shadowing in different departments and go for coffee with various people throughout the organisation. I also completed work for two separate teams in the department. This meant I got to see the different types of work that go on within the department and the opportunity to see which type of work I enjoyed doing the most.

    5/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Sports and Social Club

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    Working from home

    5/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • 3/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • When we first joined the internship we elected social secretaries who would organise things almost once a week. This included going for drinks, dinner and other activities. We would sometimes meet up with the graduates which were a useful opportunities to get to know them and to find out more about the graduate scheme.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • It’s London so the cost of living can be quite high. My rent was reasonable in an okay area with a short commute into work which was convenient if we ever went out after work. Your pay over the internship is more than enough to sustain you living in London but you should keep in mind that you won’t be paid until the end of your first month.

    4/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • 3/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • There was an employee events email that was circulated. The events were available to interns such as a river cruise down the Thames and discounted escape rooms. We had a group intern emailing list that we often used to organise drinks, dinner and outside activities which helped keep everyone up to date with what was going on.

    5/5

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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

London

August 2017


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