MI Analyst - Summer Placement Student, British Gas Review

I really enjoyed my summer placement whilst working as an analyst in the MI (Management Information) department. This is the main reason why I agreed to extend my contract as well. Centrica is going through a big change at the moment and really value the opinion of young people on the change process. Very insightful in gaining an idea of what the energy industry is dealing with every day. I also had the chance to meet great people and gain an invaluable knowledge.

My colleagues were really helpful and valued my contributions to the business. They were keen to get me involved in big projects that influence the change process as well as wanted hear my view on how the business is run, what can be improved. I was given the chance to present my ideas to the Leadership Team of the business which is not normally found in other internships.

My line manager and project managers were always willing to answer questions and provide high-level knowledge for future career goals. I received feedback throughout the whole placement and was given opportunities to improve my skills in different areas, from risk management to data visualisation perspectives. My project managers were always able to find time for me to answer my questions which made me feel valued.

Normally it was pretty busy on a daily basis, although it varied throughout the placement. Sometimes I had to wait weeks for certain responses and because of this my line manager gave me other projects to work on which were independent on other people's output to make sure that I am not stuck with my projects. Personally, I prefer to work in an intense and fast-paced environment and my line manager always gave me tasks to make sure that I feel comfortable with the work environment.

Overall, I have been given a lot of responsibility during the placement. I had 2 big projects that involved working with senior stakeholders and representing MI department to other business areas. Also, at the end of my placement I was given the chance to represent my project results to the Leadership which influenced their business decisions.

I believe that the main skill developed, namely stakeholders management, will assist me not only in my degree studies but also in my future career. I am now more confident in approaching different people at the company and I am also able to identify how they can potentially impact my work.

The Graduate team and the managers were keen to involve you in what they were doing both with respect to business and social life. We had a lot of different activities organised during the placement to ensure a good atmosphere in the office and between the summer placement students as well. The atmosphere in the office was relaxed despite the big change process and everyone was treated with respect.

The internship was very well organised: from the accommodation to our personal development. There were constants ongoing meetings and catch ups between you and your manager to ensure everything that I was doing is relevant not only to the business but to my interests too. There was also a charity project that involved all summer placement students which gave another opportunity to socialise with everyone in the placement.

The company invested a lot in our overall development. We were provided with really nice accommodation which allowed us to save money and time travelling. Secondly, we were given access to different software and were also provided with necessary training to make sure that we can deliver exceptional results for our projects.

The future employment, especially the graduate programme, looks very appealing. Graduates are given a huge degree of importance and are able to rotate within the stream every 8 months. There is a lot of support and guidance for the graduates to personalise their experience and to make the most out of their programmes.

Main placement locations were Windsor and Staines, and this is where majority of us were based and the social scene was very good. For those placed across the UK this was mainly left to students to sort out and arrange their own social life. But everyone who wasn't based in Staines, Windsor really had a lot of activities organised and were really active. Also, the graduate team organised several events during the placements where all of use were able to meet and socialise as a big group.

Centrica provided the accommodation for us for free and the cost of living was pretty low. Socialising in Windsor and surrounding areas wasn't too expensive but since majority of people never lived there before the living and socialising costs were not really well known. Saying this, everyone seemed to be pretty satisfied with the prices.

In the area I worked the nightlife wasn't really good so all of us travelled to Windsor or Kingston. Nightlife would again be very dependent on individuals, since some of the summer placement students preferred to stay in the accommodation and socialise, whereas others preferred going out to a night club or a restaurant, pub.

We had opportunities to get involved in sports, for example - the gym, which was available in all offices for free. Also, girls preferred to go to gym classes after work and our accommodation had gym classes available in the evening. Charity events were held throughout the internship, however, so there were always other opportunities to get involved outside the office as well. For example, summer placement students organised trips to different places during the weekends as well.