This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
Even though I was just an intern, my colleagues would value my opinions, engage in discussions, and incorporate my ideas into the project.
I had one-to-one with my manager on a regular weekly basis. I also had meeting with my buddy. And that's on the top of team breakfast, team lunch, and team night out, also weekly.
Reasonably busy, we had a scrum meeting every day, where we reported our progress and set up goal for the day.
I had my own project, and I participated in other projects as well. It was not crucial maybe, but it was quite a substantial effort, and aid for the team.
I learned a completely new development environment, during my placement. As a person who is already very multi-language and multi-paradigm oriented, it was a great add-on. The great part was that I was actually given a very reasonable timespan to learn all the new stills, and translate my existing one on to the new environment.
The Company
You could tell that people were working hard, but there always was time/space for a good banter. We laughed, discussed technical issues, and shared know-how.
We had the opportunity to participate in many well organized events, lectures, panels and nights out. I think only one planned event was eventually cancelled. The was good communication about the opportunities, and then follow ups, and reminders, to make sure everyone participates.
I have been given very reasonable time to learn the new development environment. On the top of a number of MD/Director one-to-ones, where we could ask questions, and seek advice for our career development.
I think very, the banking business is getting into another tough period, but people with open minds and hard-work attitude, can still do well here.
The Culture
We used to meet for lunch, most days. And go out, normal-banking-night-outs and weekends. The location I was working at had a lot of nice venues. By the end of the placement I knew many waitresses on a first name basis.
Don't get me wrong, I spend tons of cash, but I had a really good time, not "time of my life" maybe, but really good time.
I don't think there was any night-life per say, there were bars, and restaurants open late, say until 12 midnight, but after that you could take the tube, or DLR and go to the city to continue with your night-out.
You could always stay late, and do more work :) But yeah of course, there were football games, other societies and interest groups, volunteering etc.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
London
September 2011