Consulting Intern Review

The internship experience can differ depending on the project team you get placed on. I was lucky in the fact that I found my client company one of interest and was what I wanted to work in. I had a public sector client, but there are also private and finance.

I felt quite valued by my colleagues. I was in a team of about 10 people who I worked with reasonably closely, some of whom I worked more closely with than others. There was not anyone in my team that I did not like, though obviously some more than others.

I think the induction to the office could have been carried out a bit more smoothly in terms of where I actually go in the first day to physically find my team in the actual office space. 3 day residential training at the beginning was very useful and fun to get to know colleagues.

One comment I would have is that you have to be quite proactive in terms of what you want to get out of the internship. In my team I did find that I would have to ask quite frequently for work, whereas other interns were given a lot from their managers.

I was given responsibility to lead part of a client deliverable, which on the grand scheme was not massively significant but meant that I was able to take ownership of a small part of something which I liked. This really again depends on your manager and the scope of the project.

I think I have definitely understood better how to work in a team. Sometimes at University it can be frustrating when you are left to do work with team that don't seem that engaged. Comparatively, everyone I worked with was obviously motivated and excited by the work that we did.

You are appointed a career coach who works closely with you. Within the first two weeks of the internship you set personal goals which you want to achieve during your time on your internship. I shared these with my team so they knew what I wanted to achieve and could help me to do so.

At the end of the internship programme a review takes place of how you have performed and then the company either offers / does not offer you a permanent position on the graduate programme. The company invests in you during the internship and may continue this by offering a permanent job.

Not all but a significant number of the interns would engage in self organised social activities out of the office, including every Friday. These were particularly well attended by individuals who do not ordinarily live in the centre of London as it was exciting and fun for them, compared to those who usually live there.

The area I worked in is right in the centre of London and is obviously extremely expensive. While the pay is higher than that offered in the regional offices, nights out and socialising with other interns obviously costs more than if you were outside of the city centre. However, the social side is fun.