Finance Intern Review

I have really enjoyed my time here at Centrica during the summer. All of my colleagues and fellow interns were great to work with and always had time for me. The work I was given was genuinely valuable to the team and the business as a whole. It has exceeded my expectations.

I really liked working with the team I was put into. I was treated like any other member of the team, this is backed up by the fact that the work I was given would be helping them in their day to day tasks. I was also able to attend all the team meetings.

My manager was great from the beginning. It is also recommended that you meet with your manager on a weekly basis to discuss your progress and any issues that you may have. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and you don't feel like you are interrupting their work.

I was given a main project to work on which took up most of my time. This lasted a few weeks but once this was over I was given plenty of other smaller jobs from the team, all of which have made their processes more efficient and I saw my work being used in practice.

I was given a lot of responsibility during my time at Centrica. I was not necessarily expecting to be working on current projects in the business so this was a welcome surprise. I have also had the opportunity to discuss my work with other members of the business that are not in my team.

The skills I have developed and knowledge that I have gained will not directly affect my studies. However, it has helped me to gain some perspective on why I am studying certain things and how the theory from lectures is actually used in the real world of business. This will give me some extra motivation for my final year.

I found that the general atmosphere in the office was a perfect balance between being serious and getting down to work while also chatting at the same time. Every member of my team has been really friendly and was always happy to answer any questions that I might have had.

I cannot fault how well organised the summer placement has been. They are clearly experienced in running something like this and the team is used to welcoming someone new so that there is no awkwardness. There were extra events also planned by the graduate team such as organising charity events and a team building day.

The company has invested quite a lot of time for the interns. We have had different workshops and a team building day. The most useful workshops have been about Excel considering how much it is used within the business. Having had limited experience with Excel from School or Uni, this was very appreciated.

There are many opportunities to work for Centrica after having left University. The Graduate scheme is well-known and competitive. The finance scheme is 3 years long and you get to work in 3 different areas of the business, each a year long. This helps to gain a more rounded overview of the business.

Everyone is housed together in halls at Royal Holloway University so everyone is in the same boat. Therefore there is plenty of opportunities to go out with the other interns. There have also been a few finance events within the company which the summer interns and the graduates were also invited to.

The area is generally an expensive place considering it is so close to London. However the cost of the accommodation at Royal Holloway University is provided free of charge by the company as well as a salary. Therefore this makes the cost of living very cheap. The only thing you will need to organise yourself is commuting to work.

Egham is quite a small place so this has limited opportunities for going out. However trains from Egham into the centre of London generally take only 30-40 mins so this is quite convenient. Windsor is bigger and is also a short drive or train journey away. I have not found this to be an issue.

As I have previously mentioned above: There have also been a few finance events within the company which the summer interns and the graduates were also invited to. Many staff members also take part in fitness and sporting activities together. But as the interns are all living together you can easily organise something together.