Summer Analyst Review

I loved my internship over the summer. I learned so much, more than I would have expected. Due to the circumstances of coronavirus, the internship was virtual and was shortened to 7 weeks but over the 7 weeks we were given extensive exposure to high ranking individuals in the business and received quality training on the processes involved in the role. I found everything extremely interesting and engaging and thoroughly enjoyed my time. I was motivated and driven by the team, who were very welcoming from the beginning. The culture of the firm was evident even from the application stage and I have so much praise from my experience.

The colleagues I worked with varied from peers and close teammates to high ranking individuals globally and in all circumstances I felt extremely valued. The interns were a big focus for executives and officers who took time for open forum q&a sessions with us. My team were really sociable, even virtually, and I felt I could reach out to anyone for any queries I had. This is a result of the culture of the firm. I cannot wait to meet everyone in person.

I felt extremely supported during my internship, if I ever had any queries or wanted to reach out to anyone it was very easy to do so and I could tell that the team had a very collaborative and open-door policy. I had frequent check ins with my manager and when she was on holiday her manager stepped in to look after me. Additionally, the HR team had frequent check ins with us. We felt very supported and in touch with management, even in a virtual environment as a result of the platforms available.

This varied slightly depending on the workload of the team. We had a good amount of projects to work on and our calendars were kept busy with lots of zoom calls and training to give us as much exposure to the role as possible. As we unfortunately didn't have access to certain data from home we did not get to perform the actual role which meant we had different availability from the team and our mornings would be a little bit quieter than theirs leading to packed afternoon schedules. This allowed us to gain experience developing time management skills whilst balancing projects.

In my opinion, we were given as much responsibility as would have been feasible given the current circumstances. We were working virtually for 7 weeks so to have extensive access would have been too much of a risk for the firm. However, alternative projects were given to us to work on to allow us to demonstrate our understanding of what we had learned. These projects were our own responsibility and we were given as much free rein as we wanted to complete them. There was support if/when needed but otherwise we had control of our own work.

I think that the skills I gained during my internship are invaluable and they will most definitely shape my future career. I learned a lot and was given great advice from some very impressive people. We had to balance a workload, network with peers, communicate effectively and perform tasks to a high standard. This will all be extremely useful for when I start working and gave me a really good idea of how to succeed in a professional environment.

This is not necessarily applicable as we were not in the office at any point during our internship. We were working virtually but if circumstances had been different I could tell that the atmosphere of the office would have been extremely positive. Everyone was very supportive and the team all get along very well. I managed to have some social calls with the team as well which gave me a good feel for the atmosphere.

The internship was extremely well organised with lots of tasks for us. We were given extensive, relevant training of the kinds of processes involved in the role and overviews of different sectors within the division. Given the fact that the programme had to be completely rewritten as a result of coronavirus, we were given a lot to do and had a lot of exposure to the firm. At no point did it feel like I was sitting at home working by myself.

The firm had a clear investment in the intern class with a lot of focus on helping us to grow our knowledge and skillset in order to gain a grad job offer. The firm had an extensive interview process for the internship itself, so from this stage onwards they show that they just want us to succeed and learn as much as we possibly can. Even at executive level, the division focussed their attention on the intern class.

Prospects within the firm are very appealing. I have managed to secure a grad job offer and from that point I know that career progression is encouraged. The firm focus on internal employees for jobs so if at some point I want to move region or division I know that the firm support this and will do what they can to try to aid the transition. I am ecstatic to be starting with them next year.

The social scene was not perfect but it was still really good, the firm organised firm-wide events but within my peer group we also organised quizzes etc amongst ourselves. Obviously if we had been able to meet in real life the social aspects would have been a lot better but even virtually I have made lasting connections with my peers and enjoyed their company through zoom calls. We definitely had a good rapport amongst ourselves.

I live in a different area from where the office is based but the cost of socialising in Glasgow is generally reasonable. It will vary depending on where you want to go but it is relatively easy to fund social activities. It is not the cheapest but if you are sensible you would definitely be able to do everything you could want. I think the cost of living will also vary depending on area within Glasgow.

When there is not an ongoing pandemic and lockdown restrictions Glasgow is a great place for nightlife. Bars and pubs are plentiful and the clubs are great. There are venues for everyone with any interest and it is definitely my favourite city to go for nights out in. Everyone is generally very friendly which makes it. I did not manage many nights out during my time working because of coronavirus but in previous years I have really enjoyed them.

I think if the circumstances had been different there would be plenty of opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work but as it stands, working virtually limits those options. We had activities organised and there were optional wellness sessions that we could attend which were 'extra-curricular'. We were given virtual socials and there were optional webinars for topics that could be of interest to you. Information for these was sent in newsletter-style emails which kept us well-informed.