Summer Intern Review

The internship was very enjoyable. The work provided was of real use which allowed me to become more interested and focused on the project, since I was working with a team that relied on me. Other employees in the company were very helpful and their interactions with me helped me to make the most of the internship.

I felt very valued by my colleagues. I was working as part of a team on my project, and my role within the team was a central one and thus my work and presence throughout the project was very valued. In fact I was invited to extend the internship to continue to provide input on the project.

Guidance from management and supervisors was very limited. They had confidence in my ability to deal with situations myself and learn as necessary. Very few explicit guidelines and or attempts to give me an induction were made. This has pros and cons. Support was available as necessary but it was generally expected this would not be the case.

Due to the nature of the project I was working on, my business on any given day varied extremely. Towards the beginning of the internship whilst the project was still in its infancy and not urgent, work was much slower and there were often periods were I had to wait a long time before I could complete any meaningful work. However toward the end of the internship as the project came together and urgency increased, there were many days when I had to stay late to complete work (of my own volition), and I was extremely busy every day for the last few weeks.

I was given lots of responsibility during the internship. Responsibility was available as much as I wanted to take it, as the managers and team members were fine with me taking responsibility and were confident in my ability to complete tasks independently and even organise further work. Toward the end of the internship I was coordinating all of my tasks independently and took large amounts of responsibility for the project along with the project manager.

The skills that I developed will prove very useful in my degree studies and potential further career plans. Skills developed through my work in the internship included time management, project management, communication skills, teamwork and coordination, working under pressure, all of which are very applicable to degree studies and other areas of work. Specific inductions to different areas of the Oil & Energy Trading industry will help with any foray into this industry again.

The general atmosphere was very positive and relaxed. People were not often stressed, and enjoyed completing their work and took enjoyment in sharing and helping with the work of others as necessary. People were also friendly outside of work, often going for drinks after work on Fridays, and taking lunch and coffee breaks together.

There was little official organisation of the internship. The attitude taken was more along the lines of finding me a project to work on, and the just allowing me to work with the rest of the team and become well-versed enough in the project such that I could work independently. There were a few organised events from HR such as an Intern outing and Lunch & Learn sessions which were very informative and enjoyable.

The company did not make much of a concerted effort to invest in me in terms of personal training and development. As previously described my work was largely independent and I was left to take lots of responsibility myself. This did help me develop greatly, however it was not due to a focused effort from the company to invest in me.

I did enjoy working with the company very much and greatly appreciate the work and experience, however a slight lack of investment on their behalf makes me precarious about future employment prospects. Perhaps some short term future work with them would be a possibility as I know they appreciated the work I did for them greatly and I did like my colleagues a lot.

The social scene amongst the fellow interns and junior/new employees was very good. Interns were all very friendly and willing to socialise and we often went for drinks on Fridays and met for lunch.

The cost of living and socialising in London can vary greatly. It is typically quite expensive for general living expenses, however in London there is often lots of choice, and so cheaper options are available.

Nightlife in London is so plentiful and varied that one can always find something that they will appreciate and have a good time with.

There were some opportunities outside of work available, though I personally did not get involved as I was unable to.