Investment Consultant Intern Review

I really enjoyed my placement. As I have never worked in an office environment before or studied investments, it was all very new to me. The team were very welcoming and everyone was happy to answer any questions that I had, and where the office is situated is really ideal for socials after work which were all very good fun. The work was at times challenging which I believe made my internship even better, as I did not feel like a wasted resource and I felt valued by the company.

I felt valued because everyone took me seriously and entrusted me with work. The level of work that I was receiving was exactly right-- sometimes challenging, but I did not feel like a wasted resource as I was always working. Work was not just handed to me every day, I had to request it and see if anyone needed help. The feedback I received on my work was also very good, as the issues were pointed out in a professional way.

My manager did a really good job supporting me, as if I had any questions I knew that I could go straight to her. I was also mainly supported by the people that I sat with in the office who really took me in and I quickly got used to the office environment. The mid-internship meeting was also very useful, as I got to hear some of my feedback and knew where to improve my performance and where I was doing particularly well.

Most days I had a good amount of work but was always not too busy that I could leave on time. Some days the work was a little slower, but what Mercer encourage you to do is find work by asking others if they needed any help-- work was never just handed to me. At least weekly I emailed round asking for work and received a lot of responses which would generally keep me busy for the rest of the week/.

I think that I was given a good amount of work to help support the other analysts and consultants. I did not have my own client work (interns aren't at the right level) and so I was mostly doing bits and pieces to help others with their clients, but when this was slower I had two large intern project which kept me busy-- particularly at the end of my internship when they were mostly what I focused on.

The skills that I have learnt on this internship are invaluable. As I study a pure maths degree, I am often not exposed to the kind of skills required for everyday life outside of the lecture hall. I have learnt so much about investments, to say that 8 weeks ago I couldn't tell you when the quarters were!

The atmosphere in my office was really good. I particularly got on well with the people that I sat with, going to lunch every day and just general office chat. There was also a lot of social drinks on Fridays after work which were lots of fun. I always had a group to go to lunch with and I got to know so many people other than just the ones in my team just from social things.

It was very well organised, however some details of the final project were changed at the end which did mean that I had to work a little harder. Generally however it was really good, as we had 2 days of inductions, getting used to the programmes, and from then on we were sent to our teams to start working.

I haven't yet heard back to see whether I have an offer or not, however all of the grads seem to love their jobs and I would definitely take an offer if I received one. Mercer seems like a really good company to work for, the work life balance seems particularly better than other companies in London and the general office atmosphere is really good.

Occasionally we went out for a meal together and I went out with my team more often than the other interns. However we occasionally got lunch together and some joined for drinks.

It is very expensive to socialise in London, and I commute in rather than living here because of the cost. However the local bars are really nice and aren't too expensive, but entry to clubs can be extortionate. Living in central London is of course extremely expensive, however working in a professional job in the future would leave me able to afford it.

Central London has a good nightlife, but it's very expensive and as I don't currently live in London I couldn't stay out too late as I had to catch the last train home. However I often went for drinks with people on my team in the early evenings after work and I had a good time. Everyone was really friendly and it was a nice way of socialising not in the office.

There are many social activities to get involved in if you'd like to, like sports teams and quizzes and mixers. I have been to a mixer and it was slightly corporate, however it was still very interesting meeting grads from all over London and seeing what they were getting involved in at work.