Finance and Commercial Intern Review

The team were very welcoming and friendly allowing for an excellent environment around the office. The nature of the work I was doing was challenging and interesting meaning I found interest in learning around the topic. There were also a lot of opportunities to get involved inside and outside of my work with activities to make the year more interesting as well.

I felt like I was making a contribution to the team on a daily basis and my support was always appreciated. The small working team meant I had the opportunity to get to know colleagues well and build friendships. The team are tight-knit and I felt valued when giving my opinion and joining in discussions.

Never did I feel that I was being a nuisance when asking questions. Everyone was happy to help and answer my queries and explain in more detail if required. They supported both my learning and projects if needed. The team always provided opportunities for further development and networking as well as the time to complete opportunities that arise.

Again as a small team of 5 there is a lot of working together on projects and everyone supports each other's work loads. There are jobs that run continually throughout the whole placement that need monitoring and require work on daily; however there are also ad-hoc tasks as well. Some days were incredibly productive and busy however others, depending on the time of year (e.g. holidays, End of financial year, end of quarters) there were busier and quieter times.

By the end of my placement I was working fairly independently. There was few situations where my work was reviewed unless I requested it. The main overdue task of the role is monitored every quarter, so this was the largest assessment of your progress. Responsibility was dependent on how comfortable you were with communication and meetings as well as trust in the abilities you show.

I have definitely improved in confidence whilst on placement. Although the content was interesting, it is not directly linked to my degree so I can not see their being a great benefit there. However, the skills, confidence and contacts I have made will be a massive boost to my future career ambitions. I feel the placement was worth the time and effort I put into it.

A very open atmosphere. The open plan layout of the teams also allowed for meeting people in neighboring teams and working with different people. Everyone was incredibly friendly and there are opportunities to meet other students from the site and socialize with people of a similar age group. Although there are times when it is busy, the office generally was chatty and light hearted.

I found the placement to be fairly relaxed and informal in terms of structure. There was no formal team meetings or reviews unless requested. The role includes many ad-hoc tasks and the team is reliant on other department. Therefore although positive that the work is never the same, it makes it difficult to organize around. The Intern Development Program was more structured however.

There was a lot of online training at the beginning of the placement to assist in getting to know the company values and what is expected of you as an employee. There are also regularly advertised training sessions that are optional if you are interested. I feel like the company are invested in giving you as many opportunities as possible if you seek it. Again, the Intern Development Program was interesting to learn more about how you fit into the company both now and in the future.

I am personally interested in coming back to work with the company in the future. Although this placement can not lead on to a guaranteed full time position it does increase the likelihood of a successful application. The placement allows for a fast-track application. The team are also involved in a end of year review that will boost your chances if positive!

The site has multiple students and graduates that meet up for lunch etc. The team regularly get together outside of work as well as the opportunity to meet people from around the site at the gym and networking events. If you have the initiative to look for the social activities, they are there.

I lived in nearby Camberley (about 10 minutes away from the office) as there was more in the center to do compared to Frimley. I did however move from Yorkshire so a culture change meant that prices were different! They were however a lot better than London itself and I found reasonably priced.

Again, I spent nights in Camberley mostly. There are a few busy pubs on weekends as well as 2 nightclubs. It is not a student town so there was less of a young crowd compared to University but average 25-30 I would guess. Lots of the pubs showed the football etc. as well so they were a good environment and I never had any trouble.

Siemens has a site called 'Siemens Social Network' that advertises a lot of volunteering and social activities. There are always things to join and get involved in if you wish as well as groups of students and graduates socializing. The gym also runs classes and events for free.