Summer Intern Review

I really enjoyed my 10 week internship at Royal London Asset Management. It was my first exposure to the industry and I can't believe how much I've learnt in the process. The culture and working environment are very welcoming, and you are given exposure to people from all areas of the business.

I feel that I was relatively well valued by my team. A few of the pieces of work that I was assisting on were of great importance, and I was able to make a significant contribution towards their success. However, a few pieces of work that I was assigned felt a little like I was given them simply to keep me busy, and not to aid the team in any reasonable capacity.

At Royal London Asset Management all summer interns are given a 'buddy', someone they can go to with any questions or problems they may have. I had a weekly meeting with my buddy to catch up on all the things I'd been working on in that period, and he was always nearby if I needed to ask for help. They also allow you time to yourself as well to focus and think about your work, so you get a valuable sense of independence as well. It was well balanced between the two.

The workload varied considerably day-to-day. Some days we would be busy all day working on a big project with a strict deadline. Others we would be working slightly more casually on lots of smaller tasks. If we ever ran out of things to do, we could talk to our buddies or managers and they would find us something new to work on.

I was surprised at the level of responsibility I was given, especially in my first week. The major project I worked on during my time at Royal London Asset Management was for a member of the Executive Committee, and although I was given pieces of advice by my buddy and manager I produced a lot of the work myself. Lots of the projects I worked on were of reasonable importance to the business as a whole.

The first week of the internship was spent both introducing us to the industry and learning new skills. We had an introductory Bloomberg master class, and this was followed later on by master classes in all major asset classes. The skills and knowledge that I gained during these sessions will be crucial in my future studies and career.

The atmosphere and culture in the RLAM offices is amazing. It is a place that people seem to really enjoy working, and the mood is always positive. People will always find time to chat to you if you ask, and are always willing to help you in any way they can. It is a very positive place to work.

The first week of the programme was very well organised. We had introductory sessions covering the industry itself, as well as key skills that we would require during the 10 week internship. However, there was specific structure to the programme beyond this. Not much work was prepared for me when I arrived, and I felt that at times people were struggling to find things for me to work on.

In the first week of the internship we visited the Bloomberg offices for a master class on using their terminals, which is a vital skill if pursuing a future career in this industry. We were also given roughly weekly master classes covering all of the major asset classes and divisions within the company, each of which was run by a senior figure within that team. This not only gave us great exposure, but was an excellent learning opportunity.

Sadly Royal London Asset Management do not run a designated graduate scheme, and so the future employment opportunities may not be as high as elsewhere. However, once I've gained experience elsewhere I could definitely see myself applying for a role at RLAM in the near future. As a growing business, I would expect the employment opportunities to grow with it.

Each of the 6 interns was placed in a different team for the duration of the internship, so there was no sense of competition which allowed for a really positive social environment. Master classes that ran roughly once a week throughout offered the interns a chance to come together and talk about the process so far. We often went for lunch together, and occasionally went for drinks on a Friday.

There are a reasonable number of activities to get involved in, predominantly sporting. Some of the interns played squash and 5-a-side football with other employees, which provided a good networking opportunity. Occasionally there were organised drinks on a Friday evening as well which again allowed us to meet people from various other teams that we might not come into contact with on a day-to-day basis.