Summer Analyst Review

by Bank of England

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.7/5
  • The Role
    3.8
  • The Company
    3.9
  • The Culture
    3.3

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • All summer interns work on a project, mine was interesting and I had a lot of choice in the direction it would take. In many cases interns' work will be used to guide future work by economists in the bank so it is satisfying to know your work is important.I had a great summer at the Bank of England, met a lot of really nice people and had some great work experience. My team was really friendly and keen for me to get as much as possible out of the experience.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • Colleagues were always very understanding and supportive. Everyone will always say "good morning" to you every day and definitely won't be rude to you just because you are an intern. Of course your manager has to judge you in the end and all the other members of team evaluate you everyday but they are happy if you do well as much as you do.

    4/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • There are very frequent team meetings so that it is possible for you to keep everyone in the team informed about yoru progress and viceversa. My manager also arranged a regular weekly meeting between me and him where we could discuss not only the progress in the work I was being assigned to but also the route to achieve all the other objectives which had been set for my internship.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • I would say that I was very busy. Definitely I had stuff to work on everyday at every hour and it could get more intense depending on business needs. However I have heard that this varies greatly by division and there are divisions where the work is more "cyclical" so they might be busier one week and have basically nothing to do in the following week. But as I said, although I was very busy I have never felt which was too much. I have never had to stay very late into the office or similar.

    4/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • I was being given a lot of responsibility. I have heard that this can vary as well from team to team but I was lucky to be given a lot of responsibility, probably also because of higher workload in general than the staff available. It was definitely rewarding working on something that matters and being held responsible for it.

    4/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • During my time at the Bank I had the chance to attend several training sessions ranging from more soft skills focused to more technical ones. The HRs had organized a presentation workshop carried out by an external consultant which was also very funny and probably useful for people not really used to presenting. on my side I enjoyed much more having the chance of choosing among a vast array of technical training courses available to the staff.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The general atmosphere is the office was very agreeable. There was generally a lot of silence necessary to concentrate and work effectively however conversations among colleagues and insightful exchanges of opinions were not missing at all. Everyone was extremely helpful and interested in the job I was doing, senior staff included. Often also there were occasions to go and have a pint after work with colleagues.

    5/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • The internship was set up very well. The HRs didn't play a major role, I would say that they were involved in the internship programme less than in other organizations. In fact after the first two inductions days they stepped out of the game and we didn't see them anymore. Consequently it was more up to the single manager to coordinate the internship experience and to yourself to book the training/ seminars you would like to attend.

    4/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • The company invested a lot. As I said there were endless possibilities for training: from online training through a specific platform to on site training. Part of the available training was organized by the center for central banking studies which was accessible also for employees of other central banks/ institutions, while another part was simply internal to the bank and consisted in seminars delivered by internal and external speakers, papers' reading groups and IT/ software courses.

    4/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Flexi Time

    Subsidised Canteen

    Sports and Social Club

    4/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • I got a an offer for a full time position starting this year and I am very much looking forward to starting over there! The organization offers extremely attractive employment prospects and it is recognized as an institution of excellence all over the world and, obviously the UK. Also the graduate program that they offer is very interesting and very well structured. Definitely starting as a junior into Bank of England is a dream job with a lot of benefits as well.

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • The interns organised a number of events and often met for lunch. Though this is something that likely varies among cohorts it is certainly possible for it to occur. Colleagues would also go for drinks or have lunch together so it was never as if you were alone at work. We were encouraged to socialise as a sandwich student group by our recruiters and the students that we replaced and this made the whole experience far more enjoyable.Yes the interns went for drinks and dinner on multiple occasions.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • The Bank is in the financial district in central London, so it is unlikely to be cheap. There are a number of pubs nearby that are reasonably priced, it's probably best to find these on the internet and book a table in advance.Bank pay is quite good though, above adult minimum wage but below living wage. It was London so not exactly cheap - but if you're sensible it doesn't have to break the bank either.

    2/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • I didn't really try the nightlife as regards clubs. But I went to various pubs and bars and all seemed nice enough. Again though London prices mean that it isn't exactly the cheapest place to go and socialise - though Happy hours are more reasonable. Equally in terms of safety, London felt perfectly fine to me.

    4/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • There were some activities organised outside of work. It depends more on the team you are with. People I know frequently met up with some members of their team outside work. This I didn't do so much. Also some people I know were able to take part in away days that were organised, which meant going to specific events, like a city farm.

    4/5

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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

Banking

London

September 2018


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