This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
The internship was really good. We got welcomed properly and received good training. The internship consisted of two rotations. Both rotations exposed me to the teams and what it would be like to work in those teams. I learned a lot in both rotations and it really enabled me to get an idea of what a FT position would look like.
Overall I felt valued by my colleagues. They seemed excited that an intern joined and made an effort to ensure that the interns felt welcome in the team. Because the work environment is very busy and sometimes, colleagues can be a bit stressed, but this is part of working in a high-pressure environment
The support system was really good. We got assigned various people from different areas of the firm an different levels of seniority to guide us through the internship and advice us. We could always reach out to these people and meet up for a coffee to informally discuss how things were going, which was a great source of support.
This varied a lot. Sometimes I was very busy and other times it was quiet. This is inherent to the work, which is very client focused and therefore can change quickly. This however makes the job dynamic and ensures that you keep learning. overall I would say I was quite busy however as there was plenty to do.
This varied per rotation. Responsibility definitely increased as time went on and people get to know you better and start to trust you a bit more. In the beginning the responsibility level was relatively low, but it increased towards the end. Overall however you get quite a lot of responsibility for an intern.
You learn a lot of useful skills. Specifically with powerpoint and excel. Further, since eye for detail and structured working are extremely important, you really train both of those. You become meticulous and learn how to spot mistakes quicker. These skills are very useful in nearly any job later in life.
The Company
The atmosphere was good overall. As in intern you are treated with respect and are included in the team's social activities, which is great. Further everyone gets along well. It is a busy environment but people make time to help each other and socialize, which really contributes to a nice working atmosphere.
The internship was very well organised. It consisted of three parts: One week of training, a five week first rotation and a four week second rotation. Further, there were interesting talks all through the 10 weeks we could attend. HR was in constant contact with us to keep us updated on the programme.
The company invest quite a lot in us. We got an extensive external training in the first week and all the company's facilities and help desks were at our disposal. Further, the seniors in the teams ensured to explain everything to interns to make sure they were up to speed and got a lot out of the internship
Subsidised Canteen
Subsidised/Company Gym
Financial Bonus
Company Parties/Events
Healthcare/Dental
Future employment prospects are good. A lot of the interns come back for a full time position after the internship. Furthermore you can give preferences for which team you would like to work in full time. The job offers great benefits and a steep learning curve. Further, the company is very flexible with starting dates.
The Culture
There was a very good social scene among the interns. There was a group chat and everyone was invited to social events. Further a lot of the interns got lunch and dinner together quite regularly. This was also supported by the firm who organised events for the interns to socialize.
London is quite expensive, but this is compensated for with your salary.
London offers very good nightlife. There is loads to do in the whole city and other interns will always be exploring this so it's easy to go with them. London is probably one of the best places in the world to work in terms of a vibrant social scene and nightlife.
Since the internship was quite busy, there weren't loads of opportunities, but definitely a few here and there.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
Banking
London
August 2019