Summer Intern Review

Really enjoyed my time. You are given a ten week project which makes the whole experience much more real. It is a fast paced environment and you need to be willing to speak up to people with questions and to pursue your project. Extroverted people will do very well but anyone who is willing to work hard will do well here.

I was included in the team from the start and as we are given a live project our work actually makes a difference to those we work with. As such we are treated seriously by everyone and people are always willing to help.

Summer is a tricky time because lots of people take their holidays, this does sometimes include the managers. Fortunately I was still able to progress and another team member took over management when I needed it. However I was luckier than most of the other inters, some weren't given as much support and ran into some difficulties as a result.

I always had work to be getting on with and you will always be busy enough to work late if you chose to. The ten week project gives you a task to always be getting on with. Obviously the induction and final week were a bit of an exception with this where we were a bit adrift but otherwise very busy.

We had a real project to research and implement. If it went well it was implemented. So we had a chance to perform a real and useful task.

If I choose to work in FMCG in the future the information will be absolutely directly applicable however even for other areas I learnt excel skills, being proactive, business terminology and the inner workings of a corporate. We observed leadership skills and had the opportunity to talk to lots of the leadership team for the UK and EMEA. I am very happy with the way I used my summer here.

We had lots of company wide events including a summer party for Pride and there was always excitement surrounding the launch of a new product with taste tests etc.

This is a tough one. The first week was a great induction with talks from the various department heads and lessons for excel, presenting and finance for non-finance. Some interns felt some more excel workshops would have been useful for those who ended up using it a lot and everyone would have been interested in getting a proper introduction into their functions and the day to day workings. Throughout the internship HR was there if we had any concerns and we had a drop in session each week if we had any concerns as well as one compulsory catch-up to share our concerns/just chat. After our presentations of the projects it wasn't well organised. Those who were offered a trainee interview were emailed that they had an interview whilst the others were not notified until the afternoon with their managers (obviously this resulted in lots of gossip and speculation and a confusing day). Those who were offered an interview had to wait until the next day to find out and lots of people were left in the dark for too long. It was a shame for a messy end to a good summer.

There were a few training sessions at the beginning of the summer (see above answer) and my manager was good at helping me and teaching me the tips he knew. Other than that there were not a lot more training's but we were always learning from the work.

If you really enjoy your time and your project goes well then there is the possibility of joining the training program after this. Alternatively there is the possibility of being hired directly into a function as well if the company feels you gel well there.

There was a group of 20 or so interns, 15 summer and 5 six month/year placements. The other interns were the highlight of this experience. We would often go for a drink after work and always socialise around the office or have lunch together. It was a great way to join the company.

It's London so not cheap to drink/eat but most people were able to reach the area from places they were living normally. The office is in the shard which is directly above London Bridge train station so has good links if you need to commute.

There was always a good pub to go to for after work drinks and obviously it's London so lots of places to go for anyone and any scene.

There were a few work related outside hours events the interns were often invited to but not to many big organised events.