Summer Associate Review

I enjoyed my internship a lot! I was given real responsibilities in my team and also did some work shadowing in another two divisions.

People were lovely there. They were very open to catch up to talk about their work and career. My manager made a surprise cake for me during my last week there! In terms of work, I was encouraged to raise my opinions during meetings and contribute to other work streams in my team as well.

We did 2.5 days induction at the beginning and also had regular learning lunches to understand the structure of the organisation better and also to improve our technical knowledge. During my internship, my manager and team gave me structured guidance when assigning me work, and I could always come to my teammates when I had questions.

I worked normally on a 9 to 5:30-6 basis. But hours varied between departments/projects.

I was mainly doing independent research and attending different meetings. I also delivered a presentation on my findings and to give an overview of the market in the end.

This internship gave me a helicopter view of the financial industry and improved my skill set dramatically. I believe it was very valuable to understand how the regulator conducts evidence-based research in the industry.

The atmosphere was very friendly. It was generally quiet at our floor as people were dedicated to their work, but they were easily approachable when I got questions.

I felt the HR have put lots of effects into organising the internship. We got induction days, buddy programme, learning lunches, a CSR day, and also welcoming and leaving drinks.

We were encouraged to make the most use of the FCA academy and e-learning programmes. As I didn't get any quieter days in my project, It was hard for me to find time to explore those. But I did manage to attend some sessions/meetings which were relevant to my project and found them very interesting.

There is a diversity of work in the organisation. If I'm luckily selected into the Graduate Programme, I will definitely take it.

The intern cohort were friendly and regular events were organised among us. Some departmental/divisional socials were hosted as well when I was there.

The commute was a bit painful to me as it's quite expensive to live comfortably in central London. Drinks in Canary Wharf are at normal central London prices.

There are definitely lots of options in Canary Wharf. But as I'm living a bit far away, it's not very convenient for me to stay really late.

I received regular updates from the Social Club. There was a lot going on in terms of events and sports.