This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
It was a very informative two-days packed with presentations, networing events, job shadowings, etc. Having done job shadowing both in the middle and back offices, I really got a feel of what it is like working in Operations & Business Services.
We were valued as a lot of employees volunteered to spend time with us and talk to us. At the same time, since it is only a two-day programme, it is understandable that we didn't grow that close together.
Anytime we had any questions, our programme leaders were there to help and answer any questions.
We were extremely busy throughout the two-days, but this is something you would expect from a programme that is so short. In order to get the most out of it, we were happy to be busy from 9am to 8pm...
This placement was not about us doing work but about us getting to know the work. So, we were not really given any actual tasks but this is not what we were there for anyway!
We did an assessment centre exercise which was useful and through the job shadowing I got to see what it is like working at JP Morgan. This means that, rather than specific skills, I gained knowledge about this area of work and now I can make an informed decision about whether I want to work there or not.
It was fun, the other participants were generally nice and friendly. I did make some friends in these two days. The atmosphere was rather chilled as we weren't being assessed so we were not really competing against each other in any way.
Everything worked fine, we rarely had 10 minutes when there was nothing to do. Everything was on time and was well organised.
We did get to participate in two job shadowing sessions where we were with employees on a one-on-one basis. This was invaluable and it showed that the company took us seriously. They really looked upon us as their future employees which was nice.
Company Parties/Events
JP Morgan is clearly _the_ place to work for if you want a stable workplace. Also, for Operations and Business Services it is far less competitive than for front office. We were also told that, while there is no official fast track from this programme, when we apply for internships, our applications will be favoured against others.
I loved the other students, it was a great social experience. Most of the 39 participants were chilled and down-to-earth.
Travel and hotel was reimbursed so it was pretty much free for us.
We didn't go there to go crazy at night as it was only a two day programme. Also, being on the outskirts of Bournemouth, there wouldn't have been much to do anyway.
We didn't have time to get involved in other stuff which is good.
Insight / Vacation Scheme (< 4 Weeks)
Banking - Investment, Banking/Finance
South East
April 2012