Investments Intern Review

I really enjoyed my internship. Everyone was very helpful and approachable and were willing to take 30 minutes of their time to have a coffee with me to chat about anything I didn't understand. I don't come from a financial background so a lot was new to me but I've learned so much and the atmosphere was definitely collegiate. I would recommend

Although I couldn't help my team with the bulk of their role - due to regulations, I felt that the research and analysis work that I did was greatly appreciated and valued. I could see how my work was helping the team and was allowed to share my findings in meetings. I was also able to write a paper and see my name on it which really made me feel valued.

I was given a lot of support from my manager which I was very grateful for. My manager was always available to answer my questions, guide me in the right direction and introduce me to areas of the business I wasn't working in but that might interest me. My manager also gave me a lot od constructive criticism, so I knew what I was doing well and areas that required a bit more work which I felt was incredibly helpful as it's helped me to make the most of my internship and do things I didn't know existed.

My busyness varied from day to day. I was usually occupied with a mini project or task so I was never twiddling my thumbs too much. What I liked was the fact that my team took cues from me, I was able to work in areas and on projects that I found interesting and then was given follow up work so that on the days when I was fairly busy, it never felt too overwhelming.

Given the nature of regulation in the financial services, I didn't expect to be given a huge amount of real; responsibility. I was pleasantly surprised to be given tasks relating that were actually relevant and helpful and were somewhat important and required autonomy.

I have learned so much during my internship and I have no doubt that this will help me immensely as I go into the world of work. I now have a much clearer, much more comprehensive view of the role of finance in the wider world and also in how integral investment management is in the smooth running of society as we know it - this will definitely help with the rest of my degree.

The office was relatively relaxed and collegiate, everyone seemed to get on well with each other which I think translated well into the way the teams operated. There seemed to be a real culture of friendliness which made working for such an established company less intimidating than I expected.

The overall structure was fairly good. There were events, both social and educational, set up for the intern cohort as a whole and also for individual streams. I think that individually - within teams - there could have been more structure. At times it felt as though work given to me to complete was an afterthought and was created to give me something to do rather than being useful, a learning experience or reflective of the true role.

M&G organised a lot of talks through out the internship which gave us a good insight into the business areas we were not working in. These were very interactive and informative. We were also given practice presentations and feedback before our assessment as well midterm feedback which I thought was incredibly helpful as it allowed us to build our teamwork and public speaking skills. Feedback half way through the internship also allowed me to see what was going well and the things I could really push myself on for the last eight weeks to really get as much from my internship as possible.

My time at M&G has been very enjoyable and incredibly informative. The culture and atmosphere definitely make M&G a place where I feel that I could excel.

The other interns were very friendly and willing to socialise at lunch and after work. I have met great people that I will remain in contact with.

Working and living in central London is incredibly expensive.

The City is in a great location for nightlife as it is between the trendy and upcoming East End and the more established West End - there is something relatively close by for everyone's tastes.

There were quite a few social events organised after work that enabled the interns to socialise and get to know each other and learn a bit more about each other's business area. There was also a corporate responsibility day that got us out of the office and into the community helping local people.