Associate Intern Review

To be honest, this question is a slight misnomer. The work and the days spent in the office were really interesting and I really enjoyed doing the project that I was set. At the same time, because you are trying to be as impressive as possible, working late hours and working on weekends are generally something that the interns decide to do (of their own accord, it has to be stressed). These are not fun and this does mean that occasionally it was difficult. But these hours are very atypical for employees here and really can't be seen as representative.

Very highly. The presentation that you make at the end is listened to by the entire investment team and is genuinely seen not as an intern project but as research report. Portfolio managers actively ask you questions relevant to their own funds and much of my work was then used in other reports issued by the company. Consequently, you feel very much part of the organisation.

This obviously differs from person to person, but in general people at Fidelity are incredibly willing to give you their time and help. Each intern has a project sponsor and regular meetings with them are very helpful in directing you towards conclusions or putting you on the right path. In addition, other analysts were more than happy to have a look at your work and make suggestions

The internship requires a lot of hard work but this is very much left up to you. If you wanted to, you could do very little each day and produce a mediocre effort at the end. Typically, however, interns want to impress and so there isn't much time during the day when you are not working. Hours, particularly towards the end, can get very long and you have to be prepared to work on at least some weekends.

Huge responsibility. The project is seen as very important and useful by many at the firm and so you are given access to incredible amounts of information and told to pursue whatever angle you feel is best. I was speaking with CEOs withing a couple of weeks and one of the other interns had a number of confersations with a minister in the German government. Effectively you have as much responsibility as any of the full-time employees here.

I did Classics at university so it was completely unrelated, and I left last year so it is to late for it to make a difference. In terms of looking forward, this is the industry that I want to be in and so it was exactly the sort of necessary education that I wanted to prepare me for this world.

The team were all nice guys and there were lots of after-work engagements that we were invited to, but in office hours, generally people are serious about their work so there is little frivolity.

Well organised. There is a very set timeline and the presentation at the end meant that you always had a goal that you were aiming for. Having run an internship for a number of years, they are very well acquainted with what works and what doesn't.

To be honest, there isn't a huge amount of personal training that needs to happen. Most of the work is self-explanatory and what is complicated is generally learnt as you go along so this wasn't a necessity. If I ever did need something explained, then people were more than happy to help me out.

If they offered me a job, I wouldn't even have to think for a second. It is one of the best of its kind and the work would be endlessly interesting.

Events were organised by the firm quite often. For example, we all went to the races and a Tom Jones concert while we were here. However, the opportunities to go out did become more and more diminished as time went on and you have to expect the last few weeks to have little social life.

Fine. It was London prices so not amazingly cheap, but many meals are provided for you by the office and the opportunities to spend a huge amount of money aren't numerous.

Didn't go out.

As I have said, there were a number of after-work things organised and these included company football matches etc. I'm not sure how many interns actually took up the offers though.