Treasury Intern Review

I spent the year at Siemens working in Treasury Services, focusing primarily on FX advisory. I have learned a lot about Foreign Exchange and it has been an interesting year.

The whole team were really welcoming and it has been rewarding to become one of the team.

Always happy to help explain tasks or take time to answer any questions.

The ad hoc nature of advising other businesses means that there were times when I was less busy. However, extra projects were available when I asked for more to do.

After a fairly short period of time, I was advising businesses on their FX hedging strategy on real projects some of which were of extremely high value. Definitely didn't feel like I spent the year with someone holding my hand the whole time which was good. Also did some side projects which were presented to senior management.

Can't really answer as I haven't returned for my final year yet. However, now a lot more knowledgeable and much stricter work ethic so hopefully will be helpful next year.

Was based in a large campus of four buildings with a gym, canteen and starbucks. Offices are open plan. Atmosphere is friendly and you do get to know people by sight and say hello but I was glad I had a sociable team as I got the impression quite a few people commute so go straight to the station as soon as they have finished working for the day.

Very well organized. Was part of the Siemens Internship Development Programme which involved meeting up with all the Interns across the UK at various points during the year for skills workshops such as Career planning or presentation skills.

Apart from the IDP workshops, I my line manager also allowed me to go on several courses such as Access and Excel skills. Also attended several networking events and workshops in London run by Bloomberg and various banks.

I can skip some of the first steps in the application process for graduate programmes and obviously will be well placed to answer questions at interview. Have also made contacts were I to apply for roles outside the graduate programme.

Based in Frimley which is a small village so most people live away from work. This makes socializing somewhat difficult as everyone is driving. However, was fortunate to have a good team who go out for meals fairly regularly. Also was very sociable whenever I met up with other interns.

I rented a two bedroom Semi in Farnborough for £900 (£450 each) a month without bills. Not sure how this compares to the average. I would advise anyone who wants a good social life to consider commuting from Clapham area as train connections are good to Farnborough Main and there is a free shuttle bus AM/PM for Siemens employees. Alternatively, Camberley is probably the nearest place (5-10 min drive from the Office) which has decent restaurants/ bars/ shops although it isn't much if you are used to a large town or city.

Nightlife in Farnborough is poor. Best night I had was a pub crawl in Reading with people on the Grad scheme but you need to start early if you want to get a train home or get used to shelling out on Taxis.

Gym has quite a few free classes at lunch and after work. Also plenty of volunteering opportunities.