Cost Analyst Review

My placement was in Finance, with a small team around me. The rest of the team were in either India or Slovakia. My placement started difficultly as I had many tasks to do and a lot of responsibility from the very beginning. As I became more confident I would ask for more work and would be given it. I was often pushed to improve which I think is a benefit. The other interns and all the staff were great as well. I had a good year and have applied back for a grad job.

IBM has a lot of jobs offshore so inter company instant messaging and email is very prevalent. I worked with people from all over the world and was treated as a normal employee and a colleague by all. I was given respect and I felt valued by all I worked with regardless of job title or location.

I began with a month long handover from my predecessor where I learnt about the bulk of my tasks. After he left there were many people that would help or offer advice. I could always ask for help and support from those above me. This was one thing that I felt that really helped me to feel at home at IBM.

Some days I was more busy that others. Occasionally I was swamped and had to work a bit late others I hadn't much to do so worked on my university project or other things. My work with IBM was in Finance so it was busier at the beginning and end of each month. At quarter end I was very busy.

I was given quite a lot of responsibility at IBM. I was a finance contact for a whole small line of business, and quarter performance could be effected by my actions. I was also involved in transferring money between different areas which again could effect quarter end performance. As my skills grew I was given more and more responsibility.

I study Accounting and Finance at university and some skills that I picked up through out the year I can use when I return for my final year. I learnt a lot of excel skills and have gained experience with using many types of professional software. I believe that this will help me as I move into the professional world after University.

The atmosphere at my office was quite quiet - as I said before a lot of people have been outsourced to either India or Slovakia in Finance. Certain days are busier than others. On Fridays, for example, a lot of people work from home. People were friendly and approachable. There was an excellent intern community and I made some good friends in my location.

My job was a fully formed job and I just jumped in. My predecessor and I had a handover period of about a month. he was based in Portsmouth so it was a little tough - but I had requested to be based close to home. There are managers just to help interns and graduates and there is plenty of support. It felt like it had all been sorted out long before I arrived

My training was generally on the job, but my predecessor's contract was extended so he could train me, and travel was paid for. At quarter ends I would travel to the Portsmouth office to be with other members of the team which helped me learn about different parts of the business and improve relations. The company paid for me to travel to Portsmouth to shadow some people in Operations so I could learn more about the business. There were skills days which we used to improve our abilities - such as presentation.

As an intern there is a much higher chance of you getting a graduate job with IBM than if you apply from outside. Interns can apply early and have a better view of the roles they want - there are events for us to find out, and we can contact those already in those positions. It is still very competitive.

very good socially - People go out in London each Thursday and there are Christmas and end of year events when people from different locations can meet up and go out together as a group. At my location we often had nights out or poker nights. It is expensive in London however.

I lived at home so I could save money, however many of my colleagues rented nearby. As it is near London there are many opportunities to socialise and have fun, However it can be very expensive. I commuted which was expensive and can be tiring, but i saved a lot of money relative to other interns

London is an international city with many things to do and is very close to my location - there are many opportunities and places to go out. London can be very expensive, but there are always places which are reasonable.

There was a finance fun day and there are many clubs set up outside of work. I went to 5 a side football which was very fun. There are many activities available