Data Analyst at FDM Group

Great job to do during a placement year - was given a large amount of responsibility and given a platform to succeed. Experiences across different departments, combined with training at the start enabled me to develop significantly over the year. The team were friendly and support was given throughout the year.

Felt massively valued by colleagues throughout the year. With a high level of responsibility I was able to work across several different departments and was praised on the work I did throughout the year. I was able to see the impact of the work In was doing across the business which was motivating.

Support in the role was fantastic - I had an itinerary set out when I joined to take me through my first 2 weeks of training, followed by a meeting at the start of the year made me feel welcome and helped outline key projects I would work on throughout the year. We would regularly have catch ups to ensure I was happy with the work I was doing. If there was ever anything that needed explaining I knew the right places to ask.

At the start of my placement I was in training so took a couple of months to get up to speed with the role. For most of the year I felt like the work load was very manageable, however as the role developed throughout the year I ended up being more busy.

Going into the year I wasn't sure how much responsibility I was actually going to be given, but I was pleased with how much I was trusted with. I would regularly run reports which would go to the top level, run training sessions for global teams and be part of exciting projects!

Going into the placement year I had little commercial experience and not many technical skills. Through the first few weeks of training I developed my excel skills significantly, which has benefited me beyond the workplace. Soft skills learned on the job, i.e. time management and organisation has been beneficial in my final year of studies.

Great atmosphere in the office - helped out by the fact that everyone was on the same floor. There was a good energy about the room and it was a fast-paced environment to be working in. The team I worked in were very friendly which helped me settle in well.

Well structured training at the start of the internship was backed up with the idea of exposing me to different parts of the business throughout the year.

Invested in me a lot. Coming from university they understood I wouldn't have had a lot of prior experience, so put me through a week of excel on top of the week handover I had with my predecessor. Half way through my placement I had the opportunity to work with the Financial Analysis team one day a week, an experience which developed me massively.

Offered a graduate job

The team were all of a similar age to myself which led to a good social scene.

I did not live in the area but commuted to London Bridge which took around an hour each way. The area is expensive but this was expected in central London.

Lots of nice pubs and bars nearby the office.

There was a bowling night every quarter which was always good fun. My favourite event was the 30k charity walk across 3 peaks in the Lake District in which our team raised around £1400 overall. There were team nights out, a day at the races and a beach volleyball competition!