Analyst Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Accenture. I met a huge variety of talented people and enjoyed being in such a vibrant environment. The work was extremely varied and I had the opportunity to work on two client sites as well as the Accenture offices in London.

My colleagues made me feel very welcome and took me out to lunch frequently. The project team bought me a birthday and leaving present and wrote me a lovely card to thank me for my efforts.

I was given training at the start of the placement but inevitably you always have more questions. The Management were always willing to answer any questions and queries that I had and gave me advice on which client/project to move to next. They notified me of any masterclasses that I could attend to improve my skills and ensured that I had high visibility with the client.

I joined my project team at a very early stage of the project so I was extremely busy and found it very satisfying. However, every placement is different - you get as much out of it as you put in! At least once a week we ensured that we met for lunch and had a team social/outing every two weeks. These ranged from karting to interactive horse racing, bowling to meals in critically acclaimed restaurants.

I was given a huge amount of responsibilty but my team ensured that I was prepared and had the skills and the knowledge to do so. On my second project, I presented to the client daily.

The organisational skills that I have learnt will not only be used for my time at university but also for the rest of my life. I have learnt new skills that I have already put into practice and have vastly improved my computing and presentation skills. The business knowledge that I have aquired compliment my studies and I am sure that I will be able to use this in my final year.

The atmosphere was very exciting, especially in Accenture's London offices. My project team were very professional and worked extremely hard to excel but people definitely work hard and play hard.

The placement scheme was well organised and we communicated frequently with graduate recruitment. We were often given the opportunity to present and had regular catch up sessions and feedback.

At the start, I had a fantastic induction and training week in London which was invaluable. Throughout my placement I was encouraged to attend training and masterclasses and had a few career progression sessions to help me understand where I could fit into Accenture after university. I even held my own 'brown bag' session. At the end of my placement I was invited to Berlin where I was able to witness the advances in consulting practices and learn more of about Accenture's offerings.

I am very excited about the prospects of a career at Accenture. From a pay/package respect, the starting salary of £31,000 is very appealing, especially as placement students start at a higher rate. There is also a welcome bonus during the first few years.

There was a fantastic social scene. Even though we were based at different clients, we kept in regular contact and went out in London, met up for meals and had a great night out at the end of the placement to celebrate out time at Accenture. However, you tend to mix and socialise with many permanent employees, I still talk to lots of them regularly.

As I was 'out of town' (out of London) for my first placement, I spent Monday to Friday in a hotel. This was covered by expenses, as was my evening meal. Drinks were often paid for so the only costs I had were for my own entertainment - the area was pretty standard. My second project was in London which was a lot more expensive but the salary gave me more than enough flexibility.

I don't need to say much about London. The nightlife in Newbury was quite entertaining - it is definitely people that make a great night out.

I had plenty of opportunities. I played hockey at the local club after work and went to the driving range some evenings with people from work. I was involved with charity work in teh run up to Christmas and managed to get involved with some of the sponsorship deals that Accenture sponsors. I went to the Christmas parties and there were always team outings, celebrations and meals.