Finance Summer Intern Review

Overall I enjoyed the internship. There was a good mix of work for me to do which involved cash flow forecasting, completing a project of my own and various other bits of work that came up. At times it was reasonably challenging which made it more enjoyable. I also had the opportunity to talk to other colleagues within the business and learn more about both finance and Centrica; one of the reasons I wanted to do an internship.

I felt very valued by my colleagues, my line manager entrusted me with quite a bit of work and was appreciative of my efforts, as were the other stakeholders in my project. I was also given work by a more senior manager when my line manager was absent, and my opinions were appreciated. I was made to feel a part of the team very quickly and was given a good amount of responsibility.

My line manager was fantastic, whenever I had questions she always answered them very well even if she had a lot of work on. We also had regular one to one catch-ups every week to keep on top of my progress and how well I was doing the job, and she gave me feedback when appropriate, or when I asked for it, and I feel like I have learnt a lot from working with her.

I was relatively busy: some days more so than others. It depended on the work I had on, and down to how well I managed my time! There were some deadlines I had to meet (like getting the cash flow forecast done every Thursday) so it was busier around those times. At the start of my placement it was maybe a little bit too quiet, but I got involved in other activities throughout the placement too to try and keep busy. My general working hours were 8:30/9:00 - 17:00/18:00.

I'd say I was given a fair bit of responsibility, especially for an intern. I was given access to some more sensitive information and was tasked with completing the daily and weekly cash flows that get sent to Group Treasury - if I'd made a mistake it could have had real repercussions. so it was good to be trusted not to make those mistakes!

I have really developed my Excel and PowerPoint skills (we were given Excel training at the start of the placement) and this will definitely be useful for any more office based work I do, and just in my degree really. I've also gained a better appreciation for finance and accounting which will help in some modules, and developed my communication skills which is useful for anything really.

The atmosphere in my office was okay, everyone was very friendly and there was a good team spirit but it was hardly a haven for social outings. Centrica is such a big company that all of the interns end up being pretty spread out and working within their own teams/business units, so I guess it varies person to person. I think some areas are more casual, others are more corporate, ie. you'd have to wear a tie.

The placement was largely very well organised - the on boarding process from receiving the offer was seamless, I quickly heard from my line manager who provided me with all the information I needed to know. Centrica paid for all of the interns to stay in accommodation (about 40 of us were in halls at Royal Holloway), which is perfectly situated between Centrica offices, and as a result you really got to now the other interns and hear about their experience too. The accommodation being provided is a massive plus-point about this internship. Throughout the scheme there was a lot of communication from the graduate team and various activities for us to get involved in.

A lot: we had optional Excel training where some graduates took us through the basic concepts to more advanced functions, there was a development day focusing on team building activities (although I unfortunately missed it) and we all received presentation training from an external provider that was excellent and really helped improve my public speaking skills.

Quite appealing, within the finance stream you not only get the chance to study for an accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA) with tutoring and study leave, but you will also get the chance to experience different areas of finance and work in different areas of the Group too, providing a sound basis to build your career. Finding a new job within the company seems fairly straightforward too. The only thing you might want to consider is whether you go into industry (ie, work for Centrica) first, or into practice for a bit - in something like consulting or audit - as this can also provide you with a solid foundation.

Yes we often did something on a Friday night, whether that be drinks in someone's flat our out clubbing in Windsor.

Fairly expensive as it's within the suburbs of London. £3.50-£4.00 for a pint.

Not amazing, but central London is only 40mins away by train, although we never really went there.

There was the odd social organised by either the grad team or the wider finance team.