Technology Analyst Review

I had a great time on placement. I learnt a lot, the work was interesting an challenging. I learnt many new skills both technical and non-technical. Not much more I could have asked for. Really great culture in both my teams, looked forward to going to work. Would not hesitate to go back.

Colleagues were great at giving me feedback. Very encouraging feedback when they reviewed by work and code. Also great constructive feedback to help me develop over the year. You aren't treated as "just an intern" but like a real member of the team. Get trusted with real and important work if you demonstrate you can handle it.

Had structured goal setting and feedback settings at the beginning, middle and end of my two six month rotations. In addition to this I had regular one to ones with my managers, and group retrospectives with my teams. The feedback definitely helped me develop in areas I wouldn't have thought about normally.

Work load was very well balanced. Occasionally you can get stuck on something, waiting on a code review from a colleague, and the last week of a project can be pretty busy getting everything ready, but I think thats completely normal and impossible to avoid at some point over a year. Those kind of blockages / high work loads didn't last very long and were infrequent.

Made additions to important systems used in production. Was not babysat, but trusted to get work done at a good pace. Gave presentations to senior members of the team. There was no time where I felt like I was being held back from doing something because my team didn't trust me to be responsible with something.

Technical skills will be very useful for my final year at university. Non-technical skills such as networking, communication and time management will be useful in a huge range of situations for the rest of my life. Was also exposed to a broad range of information in areas such a finance, which were different to my degree and were very interesting to learn about.

Great collegiate atmosphere. Everyone is welcoming and friendly. People grab lunch together, have BBQs at each others places go out for drinks together. Office is not a crazy, shouty, chaotic place as bank's offices are depicted in some movies. Always events going on, such as events and lectures from people within the firm as well as external speakers.

Very well organised. Human resources were very good at communicating where you had to be for your first training / first day on the desk etc. They are also very quick to answer any queries and seek out / welcome feedback about improving the placement experience. Both my teams had my desk set up and ready for me, with a new starters guide for the team.

We had lots of development sessions for all the technology interns. We also had access to training resources such as free books / online courses. Colleagues, including senior ones, are very willing to spend time with you. A lot of chances for less structured training and development, by doing stuff like discussing designs and approaches to a problem with your team.

Not sure if I can comment on this one yet.

Absolutely, I am still in contact with many of the students I was on placement with and have already made plans to see many of them again. We regularly attended firm organised events together, as well as organised our own events through out the year. Everything from grabbing coffee or a meal to a night out.

As most people know London is very expensive. But you can find some surprisingly cheap spots it you know where to look. Being students you can still get into local student unions which is cheap for socialising. Cost of living is high, mostly accommodation, but I was able to find somewhere close to work for a reasonable price.

London has incredible bars, clubs, music venues etc. And with night tube, night busses its easy to get around even when its late. East London where the firm is based has some of the trendiest locations in London at the moment, so you're really close to a lot of great spots.

Myself and many other interns were involved with volunteering in local schools helping to teach computing. There are loads of other volunteering opportunities, as well as sports clubs and societies. The firm also has a global volunteering month where they aim for every employee to take part in some volunteering at some point throughout the month.