Treasury & Trade Solutions Intern Review

I found my internship in Treasury and Trade Solutions in Citi extremely beneficial. It was challenging and rewarding and I really enjoyed the level of involvement I had within my business unit. I had to balance several projects as well as daily tasks but received ample support from management and colleagues

Of course as an intern you are going to receive some of the more mundane tasks but that is completely understandable, purely from the fact you do not yet have the on the job knowledge to complete more advanced tasks. I feel work I produced got a fair level of attention and reward

I could have received more direction on certain projects, I feel I was left to my own devices at times but that is part of the learning experience too, finding your own feet without too much reliance on others

I was kept very busy but not so busy I had to stay extremely late or felt overwhelmed. It was adequate enough that the day flew by which is ideal because you don't find yourself clock watching or waiting to get out

While all of my tasks were directly given to me by my seniors, I feel the projects themselves were of a decent level of importance and were often relayed to higher management for use. This was great as it made me feel as though my work was worthwhile and held a purpose

Definitely an improvement in hard skills like excel and powerpoint, which will of course be beneficial going forward. Also some soft skill improvements like email communication and presenting that are also extremely important. There was a pretty large amount of Citi specific learning about product types and systems that will be beneficial if I work in Citi in the future but probably not as much elsewhere

I feel the atmosphere was quite dull and groups were quite segregated. Teams were very small and stuck together and there was very little general conversation or events for us to meet other colleagues. This was one of the few disappointing features of the placement

The organization of talks and presentations was excellent. We received a huge amount of training information and slide decks which was very useful for getting grips with everything. There was some poor organization in the first week with rooms double booked and no access to computers and things like that

I feel the primary tool of development was the level of responsibility we received. This meant we had to learn to handle tasks independently and produce work to a very high quality. This was important from a maturity and professionalism aspect.

I feel I have a very strong chance at getting on the graduate analyst programme. Thus far, things have gone well and I am building good relationships with people here. They hire almost exclusively from the intern pool so I hope to be selected

This was a weaker side to the placement. Socialisation just wasn't something that was supported in any great manner, any social time with other students or colleagues was organized at an individual level as opposed to work events

Cost of rent and living in Dublin is extremely high. In fairness, the salaries have adjusted slightly in recent years to reflect that but still a huge chunk of your paycheck goes on rent and nights out can be very expensive too. Thankfully transport is relatively cheap with great cycle schemes.

Nightlife in Dublin is excellent. Some places can be very expensive but you'll find cheaper spots and these places will be filled with students/interns so its always great fun.

We were shown a list of work groups we could join like Green group, who focused on environmental work in the office and outside (river clenanups etc) so it was reasonably good.