This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
It was very long hours, but the work was not impossible. It would definitely be better to work there than to intern because you just don't know enough to be really helpful.
the problem lies in the fact that I had to be taught to do anything that they wanted me to do and that even then it would take me much longer than if they were to do it themselves, so I don't feel that I was particularly valuable as a colleague, but I liked the team that I worked with.
I received a fair amount of guidance, but there is so much to learn from basic financial terms to advanced concepts that I felt bad asking so many questions when the team were clearly very busy, but they were usually willing to help me out.
It ranged from having nothing to do for hours at a stretch to having so much to do that I slept for 11 hours in 4 days.
Not a significant amount, for the reasons given above.
I am much better at time manageemnt, concentrating, and being self-disciplined, and I have discovered that I can push myself much harder than I thought.
The Company
Had sports on the tv which was great but most people ate lunch at their desks, which I hate.
I would have liked to do a rotation to other departments, because you get no choice in where you work within the division you apply to, but other than that it was done well.
I had some excel training, a lot of finance training, learning valuation methodologies etc. but these were only presentations, not active learning experiences.
Subsidised Canteen
Company Car
Subsidised/Company Gym
Staff Sales/Staff Shop
Only halfway through but think it's going ok, very hard to tell.
The Culture
Pretty good, although everyone was working so hard that there wasn't much time for socialising.
I lived at home, which saved me a huge amount of money. The city isn't cheap for staples like coffee or sandwiches, but drinks and other food can be prohibitively expensive.
Shoreditch is just down the road, and that's full of great nightlife, but I had few opportunities to go out there because I was so tired on a friday and I went home at the same time as the clubbers on other weekdays.
None. There was inter-desk football, but I was not invited to play.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
Investment Banking
London
July 2012