Business Improvement Analyst Intern Review

I enjoyed the experience of working in a new environment – having recently graduated from university the corporate environment was very different to what i had been used to previously and this really helped me develop. I valued how much responsibility I was given early on and had very consistent support from my line manager who I met with on a regular basis to ensure i knew what the next stages were. However, realised part-way into the placement that working in that kind of environment was not really what I was suited for and using computers/spreadsheets and communicating with others often via telephone only was not the graduate scheme I could see myself in the future.

On a personal level, I really got on well with every single one of my colleagues and felt that particularly during the early stages, they made a positive effort to go out of their way and help me with whatever I required. As I was working on my own independent project, I didn't really experience the 'team effort' that goes into a lot of the work the company do - as each individual/pair seemed to be working on separate agendas. Additionally, many staff worked across multiple sites or worked from home so over the internship I didn't really get as much time as I would have liked to get to know the wider team properly.

I feel like I was given a good amount of support by my manager - enough so that I could take initiative myself but didn't leave me confused and afraid to ask questions. We usually met around 3 times a week to discuss the progress I had been making on my project and next steps. This was a good experience to ask about anything I was unsure about and also for him to provide feedback based upon my personal development on the scheme. Visiting other sites was another good opportunity to get to know my manager and also their superiors. Sufficient time was planned into my end of placement reviewing sessions to ensure that I left the experience with a complete understanding of what I had learnt and areas I could approve on in future roles.

My daily routine varied depending on where I was working - I travelled down to the Leicester office 2/3 times over the duration of the placement for overnight visits. This was mainly for the reason that many of the stakeholders involved in my project were based in this office so face-to-face communication was often necessary rather than trying to track people down via email or telephone calls. Usually though, I always felt I had enough to get on with - it was only during the first few days where I felt a little like a spare part but that was only natural before I could really get to grips with the project I was given. My days usually consisted of a few phone-call meetings and also some teleconferences with the other graduates/interns catching up on what one another was doing in their offices. This was in addition to my independent work getting on with my project milestones. I enjoyed meeting people from other teams and getting to know their role within the company and what they did on a day-to-day basis.

As a graduate, the internship was a really good taste into the world of work and more specifically, the corporate environment. Although from this experience I realised that a role within this company or one similar was not for me, the skills it has provided me with are invaluable to my development in the future. I am glad that I realised this during the summer internship rather than two months into a graduate scheme and despite my career aspirations being totally contrasting to a graduate role within Centrica, I am really grateful I have now gained experience in a business-setting and the confidence it has given me to apply for more professional roles than I have been previously used to whilst working part-time during university/college etc.

I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of training and more specifically, personal development that Centrica invested in the summer interns despite some only planning on remaining in the company for the duration of the internship. The induction was in depth and provided a detailed understanding into the structure and expectations of the placement, during which was a great opportunity to meet other employees based across the company in addition to the interns located across the country. A development day was also organised a few weeks in which allowed for above-standard team building exercises and activities which I was surprised at how much I enjoyed and got out of them. In addition to this, another two afternoons were organised; one focusing on excel skill training and the other on presenting and public speaking. The staff on the graduate team went above and beyond their roles to ensure that my placement was what I was expecting and expressing their concerns to help out if required.

I think that speaking generally, future employment prospects are very appealing and particularly so if the summer internship was what you were expecting and therefore the graduate scheme would be the obvious step forward. I think having the summer intern experience behind you would put you one step ahead of others applying externally and the scheme itself offers many perks and seems ideal in terms of the rotations and broad scope of placements to choose from. However, for me this wasn't really the case as shortly after starting the placement I decided progression in the company wasn't suited to my requirements - but can completely understand the appeal to other candidates.

I think this is very much dependent on where you are based - head office had 40 of the 60 interns and so they were all living in the same accommodation and in the same 2 offices so obviously experienced a good social scene. Others seemed to be slightly more isolated perhaps with just one or two other people in their cities and so that may have been different - I was really lucky though and got on well with the two other interns based in Manchester and we had a great social experience.

Manchester is known for being a really lively and vibrant city and as it isn't based too far away from my hometown I already knew the good areas to socialise and go out in. There really is something here for anyone and the summer placement was not enough time to get around and see everything the city has to offer! Particularly for those from southern cities, I think Manchester is a really good place to experience and you certainly get a lot more for your money!

Centrica operate a good corporate affairs set-up which grouped all the summer interns in small groups with a goal to raise/volunteer the most with Shelter as their named charity to sponsor. This was a good experience to interact with other interns across the country and think of some creative ways to get involved and raise money. In Manchester, we found the best way to contribute was to volunteer a few evenings for local food banks/soup kitchens which I think is a really valuable exercise for the company to promote and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.