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
I really enjoyed working at the Santander head office in Milton Keynes. I was given real responsibility within the team and was able to develop both my business and soft skills. I would really recommend anyone who is considering applying for Santander to give it a go, as they would be given tasks that will be valued and made to feel at home straight away. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here, and the 10 week internship is perfect to gain a real insight into the business.
I felt very valued by my colleagues. I was given tasks that were needed to be done by the company and was able to talk to a range of people, who had the information that I needed in order to complete the tasks. My colleagues gave me support from the first day until the last, ensuring that I was given real work to do and were able to assist with any queries that I had. It was also a great way to network within my team but also across the head office, which is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who wants to work in the financial industry.
I was given a lot of support from my manager and buddy when I needed it. I could ask them a whole range of questions that I had in regards to the work that I needed to complete. This was received very well by them and they were more than happy to help with any queries I had.
I was kept busy during the day to day work, but this was not overwhelming. There was a good work-life balance, and this was also encouraged by Santander as they set the interns a CSR challenge. This allowed us to focus on something different for a few hours a week, and help build up relationships between the interns. This also helps the wider community which Santander are very passionate about.
I was given real responsibility at Santander. I was working on projects that are being developed by Santander and was also working on documents that the team use on a day to day basis. I believe the work I was given will help my team, as the work I was given was used to support my other team members.
I feel that I have developed both business and personal skills by working at Santander. I mainly used Excel and had the chance to be trained using Excel via Santander's training website. Santander also makes their employees complete a mandatory training exercise which equip you with the knowledge of knowing what to do in certain situations.
The Company
The general atmosphere within the office was very good. Santander has emphasised the use of their "behaviours" within and around the office. This has created a very friendly and supportive atmosphere. There are also various charity events that occur throughout the year, as well as yearly sports day that you can get involved in.
The internship was fairly well organised. I was given the information about where I would be working and in what division. However, this could have been sent to me slightly earlier so I could organise accommodation for the internship if I needed to. I felt however, that the overall experience was a very good one with webinar sessions and various meetings, allowing us to learn more about the business.
There was not a big emphasis on personal training and development, but I was told what the team do and how the information they get is used. I was also showed how to do the tasks they would like me to complete and how I should go about doing them. I don't think the 10 week period is long enough for them to develop you a lot, but the graduate programme does have a lot of emphasis on personal development.
Sports and Social Club
Subsidised/Company Gym
Company Parties/Events
The future employment prospects are very appealing. There are increased numbers of people gaining a graduate job every year (after their internship), and this is a very positive sign. Within the business, there is also the opportunity to move around and move up within the organisation by using their internal job database.
The Culture
Santander give the interns a CSR challenge and this encourages the interns to get to know one another and plan various events for the charities. This allowed us to work together regularly and this created a friendly atmosphere amongst us. We were also given the opportunity to meet all the interns on the "on-boarding event" which was also a great way to see interns in other parts of the business.
The cost of living in Milton Keynes was not too expensive. There are various restaurants where you can go for team meals for a fairly decent price. I did not live out, but hearing from other interns from MK, they said that the cost of living here was not too bad, and was much cheaper than other locations such as London.
Due to not living at Milton Keynes during my internship, I did not have an opportunity to explore the nightlife. However, as mentioned before, there are various places and the shopping centre that have lots of things going on throughout the day/night. There are also trains that go directly to other cities, so there is something for everyone!
There were many opportunities involved to get into activities outside of work. For example, there is a sports day coming up soon, and there are also days in which you can go and help the wider community. Santander does emphasise that their workers do need to get involved in different activities and they do allow their staff to set up different sports clubs.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
Accounting
North East
August 2016