Business Change and Technology Intern Review

My internship has been a fantastic experience into how IT works in such a FTSE100 company.

I have felt like a part of the team from day one. There is a massive emphasis on personal development and this is part-achieved by the welcoming and helpful nature by the people who work for Standard Life.

Support was received in various forms such as: a buddy, mentor, manager, stream heads. These were the official avenues of support and regular meetings are arranged to ensure that you are getting on okay. The staff at Standard Life really are incredibly helpful and I have found myself asking whoever is sitting nearest questions (even silly ones) without hesitation.

My workload has been very well balanced and I have never sat with nothing to do. This has allowed me to digest the work I have been doing and plan ahead for more work as well.

I was given a massive amount of responsibility, far more than I had imagined. This helped me settle in very quickly and it has meant that I have been constantly learning and developing from day one. My CV will look significantly better with the experiences that I have been exposed to.

The skills I have developed over the summer will help me to further succeed at university. The ability to manage several pieces of work will help with the various classes at university. If anything, I have re-invigorated work ethic which is especially installed by the exposure I have had to senior managers.

The general atmosphere was very friendly. The diversity of staff leads to a variety of interesting conversations and you are bound to find many people who have lots of similar interests.

The internship is very well organised with several meetings from buddys, mentors, and stream heads to check in with you. Your mentor will be in the same department as yourself and is there for any day to day questions you may have.

The company invested a lot of money and time on our development as interns. This was emphasised by weekly development sessions. These varied weekly from presentations skills to a think tank session with the objective of generating new ideas for a local charity.

Standard Life is a great place to work and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a challenging and rewarding job.

Living in the provided accommodation by Standard Life (if you qualify) helps to build relationships outside of work. We were encouraged to set up a social committee and they were responsible for many events and nights out. Standard Life were also generous enough to buy all the interns tickets to a big night out in Edinburgh.

Prices are to be expected in a big city like Edinburgh. Once a local knowledge is developed it is easy enough to get a cheap beer.

The nightlife was very good with lots of choices of bars, restaurants and clubs.

Yes, as stated previously the social committee organised various events. Myself and some other interns managed to play 7 aside football with some staff who play every Monday which has been great. The company also has an 11 aside football team which plays in a proper league against local teams.