BPM Analyst - Finance Summer Placement Review

The office was a great working environment, the scheme also arranged good events for getting to know the other summer placement students and previous graduates.

Working in a Finance role you really do need to be studying towards an Accounting qualification to be of great aid to the team, as a summer placement without an accounting background I sometimes felt like I was not as valuable as I would have liked to have been. That said, during busy times I was able to take ownership of several tasks and ease the strain on my colleagues, which definitely made me feel valued.

I was assigned a supervisor who took a real interest in my development. I had practically unlimited opportunities to ask for help and support from not just my own line manager, but other members of the wider team. I was given as much guidance as I asked for without ever being made to feel like a burden.

I was largely allowed to define my own work schedule, taking on tasks and seeking out development opportunities as I felt comfortable. Some days saw me leave the office at 6, others before 5, my busy periods were largely a result of choosing to take on extra work. I was encouraged to use the quieter periods to arrange to go and see different parts of the business, network with colleagues from all over the business and develop my skills.

Responsibility varied by task. I was given full responsibility of some projects, whilst others I collaborated as part of the team or worked closely with another colleague. In each task I was encouraged to take ownership over at least an element of the finished product.

I had a great opportunity to use the placement in order to develop skills not usually acquired during degree studies. Skills such as business etiquette, corporate culture, financial analysis and business management. I was also able to develop skills which will be useful in my final year including: self-management, analysis and working accurately to specification.

There was a great atmosphere around my team and our wider Finance department. Colleagues were welcoming, friendly and supportive. Plenty of jokes (both good and bad) were regularly made. The floor we sat on as a whole was not quite so social, with little communication between larger departments (Finance, HR, Marketing etc.) but there was some chatter between departments at lunch times.

A great scheme with all the best intentions. They genuinely care about the happiness and development of their interns. The problems I experienced were almost exclusively due to poor organisation, with training or assessment days involving long periods of downtime in areas not big enough for the group of interns. Regular updates were sent out by Email, but queries were sometimes slow to resolve.

The company invest well in their development scheme, arranging for external experts to give training in presentation skills and well-run teambuilding exercises. More importantly, Interns were regarded highly within the organisation, with senior figures happy to discuss different roles and business departments when approached by groups of summer placement students. Their willingness to give their time for our development showed a real commitment to investing in us.

The work environment and colleagues I met would definitely encourage me to consider working for the company at a later date. The inflexibility of the Graduate scheme offers a broad base for a career in Finance but has not inspired me to join their graduate scheme.

The social scene was what we made it. Most weeks there would be at least two big outings for the Staines/Windsor summer placement students, usually for a colleagues birthday or a weekend night out. Living together in Student halls there were plenty of opportunities to spend time with each other in the evenings and at weekends. Within the finance department a group would meet weekly to play football, I went to watch Cricket with my team and into London for drinks. The colleagues on the graduate scheme also organised for us to meet them.

Cost of living was reasonable. The prices are cheaper than London, but not significantly so. It was easy to socialise regularly and still have money in my pocket at the end of the month.

Reasonable. Bars and Clubs located about twenty minutes away by taxi, with central London only a 40 minute train ride away. If you're willing to travel a little way it's perfectly fine, but there is very little in the immediate vicinity.

Reasonable, there were sports teams and social events semi-regularly. We were also encouraged to get involved in charity projects and volunteering outside of work. Professional social life ran from Monday to Friday, it was rare to see a non-placement colleague at the weekend.