Finance Summer Placement

How would you describe the breadth of Network Rail's work and the breadth of our opportunities for placement students?

The sheer scale of Network Rail was something I had not fully grasped until working here; it is hard to imagine how many functions play a part in the running and maintenance of such an immense network until you are inside it! With this size comes a huge range of opportunities for employees – there are more than 10 financial director roles just as an example.

As an intern, if you wanted a day to experience a certain type of work they are more than happy for you to do so. While based in Milton Keynes I was offered a spectator place on an investment panel at London Bridge; this gave me a fantastic insight into the projects coming through the pipeline. The placement leaders are enormously helpful, and want you to get the very best out of your experience at Network Rail.

How varied have you found your role at Network Rail?

The work is never the same from one day to the next – everything is constantly moving, and this gave me the best possible opportunity to learn a wide range of skills for a future in finance. We were fortunate as interns to be invited out of HQ once a week to immerse ourselves into other functions of the business. I had the opportunity to go to a freight meeting in London, visit Financial Shared Services in Manchester and even go to a signalling office in Rugby. This gave us all a great insight into the breadth of work being carried out daily by our colleagues.

What's the most exciting work you've done here?

I was lucky enough to work on a project calculating the accuracy of forecasting from the previous year. The work was incredibly stimulating; it was a challenge but helped me put my skills into practice and develop them in a practical way. Alongside this, the knowledge of how widely the findings would be used was a great motivator; this made the project exciting and rewarding. I found this to be a theme running through my time with the company - you can really connect every piece of work you complete with the better running of the Railway!

What's been the best thing for you?

The best thing for me was the insight you get into daily life at Network Rail. This gave me the chance to make an informed decision that this is absolutely a company I would like to work for. Even as an intern you are completing meaningful work - I have helped produce reports going to the ORR, assisted the Freedom of Information Act requests – and even had the chance to contribute to closing some projects. The interesting work gave me a real sense of accomplishment – and I looked forward to coming into work every day.

Why Network Rail?

When working for Network Rail you are contributing to the maintenance and development of Britain’s infrastructure in everything you do, getting people to their destination safely and promptly. This makes every task rewarding and it is easy to become very passionate about such a role! This passion is in turn greatly rewarded – if you demonstrate your ambition and drive, the opportunities within such a vast organisation are endless.