Summer Analyst Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the work I did both in the office as well as the talks that we had and the out of office events. The only thing stopping the 10/10 mark is that most of the talks we had was more general than specific to my division. Otherwise I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the work and culture at the company. The work was meaningful and made a difference to the team I was at.

"Like family" is a very accurate representation as you spend the majority of your day with your team and see them every single day, (except weekends) so you develop a strong bond. Whenever I had any question, anyone who I approached would drop what they were doing to help me out. I had no formal programming experience, but some of my colleagues put time in their busy calendars to sit with me one-on-one to explain concepts and help me develop and improve my skills. This proved to me that they wanted me to be better and were willing to invest time to help me get there, while allowing me the independence to try things on my own first.

The support from my manager and buddy was everything I needed to succeed. I learnt a huge amount from them both and was given clear updates on how they viewed my progress every week in a meeting scheduled by us together. If I had any worries outside of office work, such as networking, I was able to discuss this with them and was given advice. I was also given adequate feedback on my performance at work so that I could improve.

Sometimes I was very busy when working towards a deadline set by my manager, or very consumed by one specific task such as debugging which can get very tedious. There were times I was not very busy as my task wasn't too difficult. In general it was mostly at the two extremes, and some weeks a perfect balance. But that wasn't a problem as I left by 6 most days and wasn't expected to come in before 9.

The task that I had was quite important for the team that I was working in and by the end changed and helped the way they work in a very impactful way. This wasn't stressful responsibility though, but made me feel valued and important. I was motivated to do very well in my task as I was given this responsibility and wanted to live up to it.

I developed crucial programming skills which I have used in my studies to make certain repetitive processes easier. That is training that will stay with me for life. Communication is another key skill that is honed and enhanced here, as you communicate with a variety of people from different background and divisions, as well as colleagues of different levels of seniority. These skills will definitely help me in the long run in my career.

In my office the atmosphere was professional and friendly. There was no dress code which allowed me to be more relaxed and comfortable, and it was very easy to make conversation with people even as you're making tea.

The internship was very well organised as we were told of all events well ahead of time. I was also made aware of exactly what was expected of me in my project and what each tasks deadline was. I do feel that perhaps there were too many talks and I could've spent more time at my desk, but that's personal preference.

The formal training could've been better as I feel I mostly learnt from my colleagues on the job. The training was fine, but I feel like I could've picked up certain skills more efficiently with in-class sessions. We had access to a whole host of online courses though, which would help develop skills.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time here and knew by the end of the internship that I'd love to work here as a graduate. I was pleased to find out that I had received a graduate offer and accepted this as I can see a career develop here and really enjoyed working with my colleagues.

The social scene was fine. I made very good friends with some of my fellow interns but mainly during company organised events rather than outside of work. Although I know many did hang out on weekends and week nights, this wasn't my thing. People were lovely though and we went out for coffee or had lunch together quite a few times.

This is London and the City in particular, so it was not cheap. This should be expected however and it's best to make your own food at home than to buy out.

i didn't engage in the nightlife but I'm sure it must be great as in London there is a whole host of activities you can do.

There are networks that you can join and engage in activities with. You can also give back to the community during Community TeamWorks, so activities were there for us to get involved.