Finance Summer Intern Review

Overall, I really enjoyed my Summer Placement. I was given a lot of responsibility and exposure to high-level reporting and hence had plenty of opportunities to develop my skills. Furthermore, there was a lot of support available from my team and line manager when faced with a new or difficult task.

I felt very valued by my team and closer stakeholders. After my first couple of weeks of demonstrating my ability through the project I was working on, I was given a much greater responsibility from my team. I would be approached to work on various ad hoc requests, giving me exposure to many different areas and people within the organisation.

Guidance from my manager was fantastic. From my first day, he would be aware of all the HR form deadlines and would always be available for a weekly catch up and feedback session. Throughout the placement, he was approachable if I had any questions and definitely helped develop my skills by encouraging me to lead meetings and present very early on in my placement.

I always had something to work on, although the workload definitely varied throughout the placement depending on the reporting deadlines. Typically, I would work from 8.30 to 5, however there were days when I would arrive early/finish later in order to make sure all work was completed on time. This was only the case when there was a lot of meetings to prepare for or a short timespan for completing a task.

I was given a lot of responsibility. The reports which my manager taught me to produce during my first few weeks were then my individual responsibility the following month. I was also trusted to design 2 new processes which I presented to the Group Head of projects. Moreover, I compiled reports and slide packs sent to many senior managers including the Finance Director.

In my opinion, the industry knowledge learnt was the most invaluable: seeing first-hand how information is consolidated across the group to give an overall view of company’s performance to its investors. Furthermore, I greatly improved my Excel and PowerPoint skills and attended a development day and presentation workshop organised to aid development of softer skills.

One of the best things about the organisation of the internship was the accommodation, just a 15 minute drive from the office, which was organised by the Graduate Team. Also, coaches were organised between most of the key events. However, whilst many of the important dates were provided in advance, there was also a number of times throughout the placement when we were given short notice about the deadline of a form submission or request to provide information.

There was a 3 hour presentation [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyPlacement Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions] was very helpful as it was organised in small groups and gave us personal feedback on our presenting style and posture. Furthermore, I really enjoyed the development day they organised, involving team challenges including rock climbing! There was also an Excel training session, however as this was for all interns, it would've been useful to have a Finance specific session, tailored to the formula we would mostly use.

The graduate programme rotates across 3 different areas in order to give you exposure to the different opportunities within Finance at Centrica. Furthermore, they will sponsor you to qualify as a chartered accountant and give you choice of the ACA, ACCA or CIMA. As Centrica only hire Finance graduates from the summer internship this year, there is around a 50% chance of being offered a graduate place, following a presentation and interview.

As most of the interns lived together in halls there was always lots going on after work and on the weekends. Many interns would go for dinners and cinema trips together in Staines and nights out in Windsor. The accommodation was also a short distance from Thorpe Park, where you can also receive discounted ticket prices if you work at Centrica!

As it was close to London, prices were still quite expensive. However, as accommodation was provided, there weren't many expenses each week. Going out would require taking taxis to Staines and Windsor, however when shared between a group it wasn't very expensive. Food and drinks were the same prices I am used to.

There was a lot of emphasis on getting involved in Centrica's social media, with prizes for the best Twitter, Instagram and Blog poster each month. There was also a charity challenge, where we would compete in teams to raise as much money as possible for Centrica's partner charity, Shelter. I also had a day out of the office to visit customer homes with a Smart Energy Expert to learn more about the customer-facing side of the business.