Intern Review

I really enjoyed my placement, I was kept busy by my line manager and really felt I was contributing to the team and valued member of the FCA. I wasn't put in the department that I chose, but I still really enjoyed my time and the intern-wide activities were still very enjoyable. The FCA did a great job of making us all feel connected despite the fact that it was all online. I really enjoyed my internship here.

I felt very valued by my colleagues. I had regular check-ins with my line manager who ensured everything was running smoothly and answered any questions I had. I was given enough work to make sure I felt like a part of the team and contributed well. My graduate buddies and supervisor also did a great job of helping me settle in and making me feel valued. My graduate buddies in particular did a great job of giving me a more informal welcome and helping me get comfortable.

I was given a lot of support and guidance by my manager and supervisor. I would have regular check-ins to make sure I was able to handle the workload and to go through the work I was doing. I was given great guidance in explaining the standard expected of me and where I could improve/focus. I was also given freedom to work independently and even run team events such as a virtual team quiz, which I really enjoyed.

I was fairly busy with meetings most days and at least 2 tasks on the go at any one point. I enjoyed being kept busy as I felt I was making a contribution to the team which is what I was hoping to get out of this. As well as doing collaborative work I was also given the opportunity to work independently which was great. However, there was also a great work-life balance. I didn't have to work overtime.

I was given some responsibility to complete tasks for my manager and supervisor independently. As well as this I was given the opportunity to present in front of the team which was great. There was also a community project where we could present in front of senior leaders with a charity-based proposal. There are, of course, some tasks which were less important than others, but overall, I felt well-supported but at the same time given enough independence.

I gained many professional skills which are really valuable for my career development. I learned to manage my time well which will come of great use for university. I also learned how to better communicate in team meetings, as well as presenting in front of many other people. Additionally, I bettered my writing skills and how to format internal professional documents. These will all be useful for both my future career and my final year at university.

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The internship was fairly well organised. Considering that there was a global pandemic on, I was extremely grateful that it was not cancelled altogether. The internship started 3 weeks later than the initial starting date and I was not put into either of my desired departments. However, once I joined everything was well organised and I really enjoyed my time. The fact that I was able to get this experience during a pandemic is really amazing.

The FCA gave great training on multiple personal development areas. The trainings were run by Kaplan, a reputable training company which gave great advice on time management, leadership, presenting and other topics. As well as this, there were lunch and learns where we could learn about various other areas of the FCA to get a wider feel of how the FCA works. Additionally, we were given training on the City, which gave a great context to the financial services industry.

The opportunity to join the graduate scheme is very appealing. The economics graduate scheme includes a fully-funded masters at Birkbeck university in London, which is a great opportunity to learn whilst working. Furthermore, the graduate scheme application is explained very well and fairly accessible to interns. The graduate scheme itself includes both an internal and external rotation which allows graduates to get experiences in different departments of the FCA as well as another private/public company.

Since the internship was online I was unable to meet with anyone in person, however through the community project I was able to meet a few interns. The atmosphere was always very friendly and we all got along really well. As well as this I had a few one-to-ones with some interns to do a bit of networking and chat about our experiences. I really enjoyed this and it was a great way to get to know some of the other interns.

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