Insurance Analyst Review

I really enjoyed my summer placement at Centrica as I was given really interesting work to complete in my team. I had the opportunity to develop both technical and personal skills and to learn about areas of the company with which I was not directly involved. My colleagues were really friendly and very always willing to offer help.

Although I was only working at Centrica for 10 weeks, I felt that my colleagues really valued the work I was doing. They were always willing to listen to new ideas and suggestions I had that challenged their existing methods. I feel that the work I was completing will continue to be used after my 10 weeks there.

I felt that I was given really strong support and guidance by many people at Centrica. My manager was always willing to spend time with me and arranged fantastic cover while he was on holiday. The Graduate Development Managers maintained regular contact throughout the placement and would offer weekly advice to all summer interns.

Throughout the majority of the placement, I had set objectives that were clearly outlined. These were periodically reviewed to ensure that I always had work to complete. There were, though, a few days at the start of the placement during which I felt that I could have had more work to do. I suspect that this would be the case my most new jobs though.

I felt that I was given significant responsibility almost straight from the start of the 10 weeks and was involved in important work for my manager and my team. Having clear objectives for which I was solely responsible resulted in my needing to manage my time and prioritise my workload.

The skills that I developed and training that I received will be incredibly useful both in my degree and in future employment. I have really developed my workplace communication skills and now approach potential problems will a more optimistic attitude. Centrica offered Microsoft Excel and presenation training sessions that were also highly beneficial.

The atmosphere in the office was friendly and welcoming and I consequently felt at ease from my first day. I never felt at pressure in the office to be working stupidly hard or really long hours. Colleagues were always happy to have a chat and the offices themselves provided a comfortable environment in which to work.

I thought that the work placement was generally set up well. Our line managers made contact with us a few weeks before we started and we were each given a buddy who was currently on the graduate programme. We also had an induction day at Windsor at the start of the 10 weeks to introduce us to the company and to each other.

The company were really keen to invest in the summer interns as they see it as an investment in the future of the company. We had presentation and Excel training sessions and were given detailed feedback from the job application process. I also had the opportunity to complete online courses to develop both technical and personal skills.

I would love to be offered a place on the graduate programme for my stream. It involves 3 8-month placements in different departments across the company, allowing you to learn about different areas before later specialising in what you prefer. It was really great to meet people working at Centrica now who had been on the summer placement programme a few years ago.

There was definitely a good social scene amongst my fellow interns which was really helped by all living together at Royal Holloway university. We made several trips to local pubs to watch World Cup matches, went to Windsor Races and meet up with the current graduates on our stream outside of work.

Centrica provided free accommodation at Royal Holloway University for all of interns working at Windsor or Staines so that removed a large cost. The other costs included grocery shopping which was fairly standard and going out. Eating and drinking out which was quite expensive due to the location of the accommodation.

There was a definite lack of nightlife nearly to Royal Holloway university. Windsor was the nearest place that we found to go as it had several clubs and bars but these were pretty expensive. There were a few nights out for all of the interns but these were limited as quite a few people tended not to stay at the weekend.

I thought that there were a few activities outside of work to get to know colleagues a bit better. These included 'Thirsty Thursday' where my team would go to a local pub for lunch on the first Thursday of each month. All of the interns also took part in a 'Charity Challenge', working in groups to raise money for Carers UK.