Summer Intern Review

Overall, I felt that my internship was a rewarding experience. From the first day with my team, I was exposed to an interesting range of tasks to work on and topics to become familiarised with. My role afforded me access to serious decisions that were being made and an overview to the decision making process of the organisation. Very few meetings were dull and there was always something for me to do at every stage of my internship.

The team that I was attached to at the Financial Conduct Authority really made be feel not only valued but integrated as well. I felt that I was professionally valued as an integral piece of the puzzle to fulfil the work given to our team. Furthermore, I also felt socially valued as I was given regular opportunities to interact with FCA colleagues and other interns as well. Overall, my integration with my team could not have been done better.

My line manager during this internship was not only very understanding but also provided an ample amount of support of guidance despite my line manager's busy schedule. Especially during my onboarding phase as an intern, I was provided with a good amount of introduction to the work my team handled and my line manager and other senior colleagues were always available to answer any of the technical questions that I had. Throughout the internship, I felt very much that I had the proper guidance to fulfil my responsibilities.

My workload fluctuated on a daily basis depending on the demands of the business. There were definitely weeks where my workload was heavier than usual but manageable. On the other hand, there were definitely days where my workload was lighter than usual. However, overall, I had tasks to do throughout the internship which were beneficial and integral to my professional development. There were only a few moments where I felt I wasn't being given enough work or where I felt I was being given too much work.

Especially for an intern, I was given a high degree of responsibility during this summer internship. After I was onboarded onto my team, I took over responsibilities that were previously held by full-time employees and graduates within the Financial Conduct Authority. Nonetheless, being given these big responsibilities is what I felt gave this internship its value as I was exposed to interesting tasks despite simply being a university student interning for the Financial Conduct Authority.

There was an effort to provide personal development sessions to help interns develop skills such has resilience, presenting, and other relevant attributes to one's professional career. Having had prior internship experience, however, these sessions did not appeal to me as much. Nonetheless, the work that I've performed within my team for the Financial Conduct Authority as helped me develop professionally. Had this internship been able to be in-person and not virtual (no fault on the FCA as this was during COVID-19), I feel that I would've developed more.