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
Overall, the internship was a great experience. I was the only intern in my team and I was able to get involved with a variety of projects working with everyone from an MD to analysts on my team.
There was a buddy system in place. My buddy definitely looked after me well during the whole internship and always valued any work that I did for her. Similarly, when working with others in the team, everyone was appreciative when I helped them out and made me feel like part of the team.
My line manager took the time out to have lunch with me and often asked me how I was finding things during the internship. Everyone in the team took time out to chat to me at some point over the weeks and gave me advice and guidance about my future career, academic and even travel plans.
Busy, always had something to do. If I wasn't helping out on a project I was updating a database. It turned out that I was heavily involved in a few projects so I didn't actually spend much time on the database. Better busy than not doing anything but just meant that I worked longer hours.
Actually made slides that went (mostly edited to a minimal extent) into client presentations and I got to attend client meetings too. Also sent out daily updates directly to clients and responded to any queries clients had about the update.
Time management skills will definitely come in handy when juggling assignments this year. Excel skills will also be useful. Generally learning to be extremely careful with work I hand in (and knowing what mistakes I need to look for) should also benefit my studies and career.
The Company
My team was really lively and was always joking around. Everyone, from the MDs to analysts, was approachable and happy to chat. People around the company were generally very friendly too.
Well organised - interns were well informed about what was going on each week. We had weekly learning sessions and some drinks events throughout the internship.
We had one week training - introduction to different software used at Rothschild and some accouting training. Training was a good place to start but I learnt more on the job since my team used specific software.
Subsidised Canteen
Sports and Social Club
Company Car
Subsidised/Company Gym
National Travel
Company Parties/Events
Healthcare/Dental
Given the chance, I would definitely take up an offer for the graduate programme. Process is a direct offer (or not) after the internship - no additional tests or interviews. However, I'm unclear as to what the exact conversion rate is from summer to grad.
The Culture
As interns got busier, we generally met up less but those keen on socialising always found some other interns out on the same night. Interns often went for drinks on Fridays. I went a few times with my colleagues during the working week and on Fridays too.
Central London can't be cheap. Rent (flat was a few stops away from Bank on the tube) was high as expected. Food and drink around the area was standard city price but company perks helped with cost of living in general.
Nice bars - rooftop bar with good view less than 10 minutes away. Good range of other pubs and bars around too but didn't really take the time to explore the nightlife around Bank properly.
During the internship, there was a in-house music concert, two emails about volunteering activities and also an email about tickets to a musical. I went to the music concert and really enjoyed it. One volunteering activity was long-term so interns couldn't get involved and the other was a one day trip, which would have meant taking a day off work. If I was a long term employee, I probably would have done both.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
London
September 2016