Commercial Intern Review

Plenty of support was given. I was encouraged to put in weekly catch-ups which were a great opportunity to discuss anything I wanted from the week’s work to future projects or the graduate scheme. My line manager was very approachable so I could always ask questions and receive plenty of help.

The work load varied throughout the year depending on the needs of the business however I very rarely needed to work beyond contracted hours. The majority of the time I was not rushed off my feet but if I ever felt I needed more to do I could ask for projects to work on etc.

I felt that interns were given a lot of responsibility and this increased throughout the year. All the work given was essential to the team and therefore it was important to complete efficiently and with no errors. In the second half of my placement I had client contact and a project with a budget increasing my responsibility.

Great atmosphere! Everyone was very friendly and relatively young so it was easy to get along with everyone. Aside from everyone being very approachable and happy to help with work, it was also very sociable. The only exception to this was that everyone (except interns) were allowed to work from home so some days, especially Fridays, could be very quiet.

The placement was very well organised. All interns had objectives and learning aspirations set at the beginning of the placement which was followed by a middle and end of year review. There was a 1 week handover from the previous intern which massively helped in understanding the role as well as a HR induction.

There was very little official training. Aside from the one day induction I was sent on two training sessions to learn how to use data analysis programmes. My line manager invested a lot of time into my personal development with regular catch-ups to discuss development, as well as my mid-year review.

There is a graduate scheme you can apply to in the last month of the placement, however this is very competitive. There is also no job guaranteed at the end and some really good graduates have told me they struggled to find a job opening to apply for. However, if you want the graduate scheme, a successful internship is the best way to get it.

There were around 80+ interns in the office and so there were plenty of interns to make friends with and plan events. There was a committee with a social sec, however nothing came of this which was disappointing. The HR team did organise two events in the last month of the internship. There was a great social seen amongst the team with frequent pub trips and several paid for dinners/ nights out.

I moved to London for the internship with other interns and as you can imagine it was very expensive with the large majority of my salary going towards rent. Drinks, restaurants, clubs, etc. were all quite expensive as expected. However, I personally loved the experience and living in London and thought it was worth it. Not for those hoping to save some money over the placement year!

There was very little night life in Hammersmith in terms of night clubs, however there were plenty of good pubs, bars and restaurants in town and on the river. Also you did not have to go far if you wanted to go clubbing and you can easily get the tube into central if needed.

In London, so plenty to do.