Finance Summer Placement Review

by Centrica

Best Student Employer

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

2.7/5
  • The Role
    3.3
  • The Company
    2.7
  • The Culture
    1.8

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

    • The summer placement with Centrica was an interesting experience. The people at the company were very friendly and nice. I got given a lot of responsibility and the commercial insight was extremely useful and I was able to achieve a lot. However the internship was rather unorganised from the graduate recruitment team's part and often we felt that communication with us was a problem and we were always told things last minute. Whilst free accommodation was a bonus, the location wasn't that great as you were quite far from everything (shops, transport etc.)

    3/5
  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

    • My team were great to work with and they were all very easy to get along with. They were the best part of the summer placement.

    4/5
  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

    • It was quite a busy period for my team but I was given a lot of support from my line manager through weekly meetings and progress catchups.

    4/5
  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

    • I didn't have a great deal to do at the start but this was expected as I was getting to grips with the company, products etc. Four weeks into the job, I was quite busy and was working hard to achieve my objectives and taking on responsibility where I could.

    4/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • I was given a good level of responsibility and was successfully able to help with the decision making part of my team through the tasks I was given.

    4/5
  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

    • The skills from the placement won't really benefit me for my studies but it developed some soft skills (communication etc.) whilst also giving me a good taste of office life which will most likely help in the future.

    3/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

    • The company was in the middle of a reorganisation process so it was quite tense as you would except and we made sure to be wary of this fact. Other than that it was friendly and quite relaxed but got very busy when work picked up.

    3/5
  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

    • Whilst we were told about the main extra activities we would be taking part in, the communication between the interns and HR/grad team was quite poor. We were told things last minute and there was a lack of social activities for the interns and it was quite difficult to commute to work on occasions for people that didn't have a car.

    2/5
  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

    • There was little formal training and development for the internship and everything was done 'hands-on' the job. I personally prefer this style but given the heavy use of Microsoft office in the finance internship, a longer training session for e.g. Excel would have been useful, although we had an optional 2 hour drop in session that we could attend.

    3/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • Subsidised/Company Gym

    Working from home
    3/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • The graduate programme is quite appealing as you have the opportunity to complete an ACA/CIMA/ACCA and the starting salary is quite competitive. There are a range of areas you can end up working within Finance at Centrica, which is great because you can tailor you career path. The company seems to be doing well overall as they look to cut debt and continue to grow.

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

    • The interns were good fun to hang around with and everyone was really friendly.

    4/5
  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

    • Accommodation was free but public transport, eating, going out, bars etc. were quite expensive.

    2/5
  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

    • There are a small number of pubs in Egham. If you want to go out you have to venture to Windsor or take the train to London.

    1/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • Given the location, there wasn't a great deal you could get involved with.

    1/5
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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

Financial Management

South East

October 2016

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