Business Consultant Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my year at IBM. The training and experience I received were phenomenal. I wasn't just stuck doing the same role as I was encouraged to shadow and speak to different people from different departments. This helped when it came to applying back for the grad scheme because I knew exactly what role I would enjoy. IBM also has business resource groups (BRGs) where you can meet people from different teams and work towards achieving a similar goal.

I was fortunate enough to work in the department I did where work culture was highly valued. We had various activities where the work you did was recognised in front of everyone and if not, your managers would always give you feedback on what you did.

When you first start it is natural to be afraid to ask for help because you think you should know what you're doing. I quickly learned that I should not do that and instead ask for as much help as I needed. My managers were never too busy to answer any questions I had, they would even stop what they were doing to explain things to me if needed.

At the start, I was not busy at all but over time, work started to build up and I found myself having a lot of work. However, I learnt how to prioritise tasks so that I focused on the most important ones first. This took some time to adapt though because I saw all tasks as being important.

I had alot of responsibilities. The majority of my tasks were client facing, which I loved! As an intern, you may think you'll get typical 'intern' jobs but at IBM you are given real roles that matter. I was given an opportunity to manage a project that was worth 150K, and this project was deployed not only for the clients but it was also deployed to the public.

The study law but did a business role. Although there aren't any direct correlations, it will contribute to my degree and career. I learnt how to organise my time better, work in teams, perform excel tasks (I had little knowledge of Excel before), business acumen, design. My roles also required excellent attention to detail and analysis which would definitely help when I return to final year

As mentioned earlier, my department valued work culture a lot! There was never a dull moment in the office. However, there were times when we had to really focus on the work you were doing but I never dreaded going to work. We wear casual clothes in my department so that should pretty much sum up the atmosphere.

It was quite organised. We were required to do reviews every three months which helped with self-reflection.

IBM has a badge system which promotes personal learning. This is a good way to learn new skills and receive an e-badge which can be displayed on your linkedin it, which will definitely gain recognition. Interns aren't usually placed on actual paid courses but if your role requires it then you were given the opportunity.

IBM is a large company where you can find any role possible from legal to development and design. You will definitely find a role that is right for you there. If you start on a specific role you are never stuck with it as you can always move around and change roles.

Yes. Every Thursday interns would go to the pub for drinks or any other social activities. My department had regular socials so I quickly felt welcomed into the team. My immediate team would have designated days for various lunch cuisines eg. Wasabi Wednesdays. Overall, a great experience and got to experience alot of different cuisines

I lived at home so the cost of living was free. However, London is quite an expensive city and it doesn't help that my office is based in Southbank which is where the London and the Houses of Parliament are located. This meant that some places were quite pricey but there is the Southbank market on Fridays which is quite reasonable.

No clue but I'm sure it's good

Yes there are. There are opportunities to do givebacks and volunteer in schools or cleaning up forests