Risk Analyst Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement and was pleasantly surprised that the hours were not what I expected of a big bank. I expected to work longer than 9-5 hours but it was very laid back and much more flexible and I was able to work hours such as 10-6 if I wanted to. I also enjoyed the work and it was pitched at an appropriate level to match my skills whilst sufficiently challenging me.

I felt extremely valued by my colleagues as I was given actual work from day one and was treated as an analyst not just as an intern. My work was well recognised and my projects were tailored around my development needs. I really did feel like I achieved something throughout the year, especially when I presented my work to senior stakeholders and was praised for it.

There was a sufficient level of guidance and training from day one. The first 2 weeks were spent with the intern that I was replacing and they showed me the basics of the job. I also received training for excel and for a coding program called SAS. I had monthly catch up's with my manager to address my development needs and goals to continue further learning.

The work I did was mainly project based, so I was given a piece of work that should take me a month or so. This meant that I knew my own deadlines and could manage my workload appropriately to meet deadlines. I was always busy though which was good. When my project finished, I got given my next project and started on that almost immediately.

As I mentioned before, I was treated and respected as an analyst from day one (not just an intern). This meant that I was given a large amount of responsibility and felt that I was actually relied on and needed in the team which was nice! Help was available if I needed it but it is encouraged to try work by yourself first then ask for help if you need it.

The skills I have developed will definitely help me in the computational aspect of my degree studies and the experiences at work will definitely be useful in future interviews so I have work related examples for answering competency questions. It has definitely given me a good view of working life and it has made me well prepared for when I finish my studies and get a job afterwards.

The department I was part of was very social and Friday drinks in the pub was always encouraged. Also there was lots of charity and social events happening most weeks. Also everyone was dead friendly and willing to help whenever needed. The office had a real family feel, everyone was laid back but also got the job done.

The placement was very well organised and well structured. I had a wide range of interesting work and enjoyed being at work. I had a clear structure for the year and it was very well planned out. There are around 90 interns so the company managed us all well as we were all in different placements.

A substantial level of training was given in a variety of interesting and useful topics. We had a week long residential in Birmingham and learnt about scorecards and Basel regulations. This was thoroughly enjoyable and we also got to socialise with the other interns whilst learning. Further, we also had excel and SAS coding training throughout the year as well as soft skills training.

Definitely appealing as we had the chance to apply and fast track onto the risk graduate scheme as well as applying for a permanent job for after university. I can definitely see the opportunity for internal promotion as well because there are managers and senior managers in my team who were once interns.

Brilliant social scene in the office however a lot of the other interns lived at home with parents rather than moving to London in a house share so some of these were restricted with social activity as travel was a restriction. But there was enough of us who lived in London that socialised together.

I worked in London (Liverpool street) and lived in Stratford (East London). It was expensive but the wage was raised due to the job being in London so it was about affordable. Accommodation and travel is expensive but if you search enough for a cheaper house you will be able to find one.

The nightlife around Liverpool street is buzzing, there are a lot of offices around so a lot of young professionals going to the many bars and clubs around. There are also ping pong bars, table football bars, free salsa classes and other cool things to do on an evening. The office is in a very central location and is well connected for buses and trains home to Stratford for me.

Quite a lot of social stuff outside the office: Netball, Dodgeball, drinks, cinema, ping pong bars, table football bars, free salsa classes and other cool things to do on an evening. A lot of people get involved with the social activities outside of work hours because they are straight after work and sometimes we get to leave early and also we have team lunches outside the office to get to know each other.