Operations Analyst Review

I had a fantastic time during my placement year. There was so much opportunity to get involved with stuff, I met some brilliant people and thoroughly enjoyed living and working in London for a year.

Absolutely. I felt I played a vital part of the business process - I was relied on by the entire senior leadership team for various files, support and information.

There is a great culture at this company. If you reach out and get in touch with someone, 99% of the time they will be willing to help. I did so multiple times during my year and I always received fantastic support.

This varied on the needs of the business. Some days, absolutely rammed from the moment I walk in to the moment I left, particularly towards the end of a quarter. On others, there'd be less requests. However, I definitely think there is always something to be getting on with. For example, networking, learning, working on improving a process... Or uni work if you have nothing else! G o out and find opportunities.

An awful lot of responsibility and autonomy. This was one of the best things about the year.

I will definitely carry forward the Excel and coding skills I picked up, the communication and networking, as well as a newfound confidence in my own ability.

This was one area which was somewhat lacking. There is an enormous 'work from home' movement, which meant sometimes it was literally interns and a couple of senior managers. While it was great to be able to chat to them, it would have been even better if there was a lively attitude every day!

Well. There is definitely a clear process to go through, and this helps because you always feel guided. You have both a task manager and an 'EPM' (early professional manager), which look after different areas of your career. They were always extremely helpful and supportive. However, there is also a lot of red tape - for example, journals to fill out, various reviews with specific criteria... I feel like a more informal process could be even better for just allowing the year to develop fully, without being tied down by bureaucracy.

You have an opportunity to take part in a lot of informal training and events. However, there were a couple of times during the year when I tried to attend talks or workshops and was informed they were for 'grads and apprentices only'. Now I don't think this is something anyone would enjoy hearing - it made me feel like I was less valued because I was only here for a year.

Very - there is a lot of opportunity across a large spectrum of roles, and a huge amount of support to do with applying back.

Yes - depends how sociable you are!

London is extremely expensive rent wise... But well worth it! Just don't expect to save any money if you want to do anything in the evenings or weekends.

Central London... need I say more?

Yes, there was always a lot going on - but stuff won't just fall in your lap, you have to actively seek it.