Summer Associate Review

I enjoyed my ten weeks at the FCA; there was a lot of variety and many things to get involved with. The intern group wasdiverse, both in terms of background and geography, so it was always interesting to talk and find out new things. The work-life balance is also very good.

For the most part, I felt valued by my colleagues and felt like I was contributing positively to the team. Team mates genuinely seem to want to help and are happy to give up their time to tell you more about their background, the role, the job and any other useful information.

The level of support and guidance varied, at times when my team-members had more time, I was fully explained the task at hand and felt comfortable proceeding. However, there were also times where I felt the level of work given could have done with more contextual knowledge/guidance in order for me to work more efficiently.

This varied on a week to week basis, as with most firms, the month of August was relatively quiet for the most part due to many people being on holiday. However, there are always times when the work picks up and there is always something that you can get on with/do.

I was given a lot of responsibility considering I was just an intern. Certainly from my own experience and talking to other interns, I felt like we were all contributing to the team in a positive manner and doing useful tasks that saved the department time and resources. Interns are allowed on firm visits and have access to senior people both within the company, and externally.

My regulatory skills have certainly developed, and just by attending team-meetings you can pick up and learn a lot. However, aside from the three induction days, there was not much in the way of formal training, aside from the e-learning which is up to the discretion of the intern. However, interns are given opportunities to sign up to training events that are offered to every FCA employee.

The atmosphere at the FCA is certainly very collegiate. Different members of different departments work together effectively and are very happy to share knowledge. The atmosphere does depend on the division you are in, so it does depend on the size of your team/department. However, from my experience, the office atmosphere was positive.

In terms of the organisation of the placement, I do felt more could have been done in the first few weeks in terms of intern tasks/easing into the role. Many of the jobs, whilst interesting, were often ad hoc, and there should perhaps be a generic case study/project that interns can do to get acquainted with the team.

The FCA certainly invests in their employees, although a lot of this isn’t available to the interns. However, it is definitely worth noting that for anyone wishing to use the internship as a pathway to a grad job that professional qualifications, secondments etc, are fully paid for by the FCA. There are also many other training opportunities to develop yourself.

There was a reasonably good social scene amongst the fellow interns, 30 isn’t a particularly large number for a cohort size, however we did go out for drinks a number of times, and once also went bowling. Of course, the social scene depends on who’s on the placement, so it could be worse or better next year.

Like most places in London, the costs of living and socialising in London are very high. A drink will rarely be under £5, and rent will be around £150-200 a week for anywhere within 30 minutes commute. Having said that, the internship is paid, so funding shouldn’t really be an issue unless you’re very extravagant.

Considering the FCA is based in Canary Wharf, the nightlife is essentially the London nightlife. With the advent of the night-tube, this will only make it easier to get around to and fro. Therefore, there really can’t be too many complaints about the nightlife, it is what you make of it.

There are a few opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work, the FCA allow up to 28 hours to spend volunteering, and the interns spent a day helping out a local charity renovating their garden and furniture. There are also quite a few sports clubs/societies that interns can get involved with should they wish to.