GTS IS Cost Financial Analyst, UKI Review

Overall, I enjoyed my placement with IBM and there were lots of opportunities to learn, network and participate in extra activities outside the role, however my particular role was often too busy to be able to do those things outside of the role. I gained invaluable experience from my placement and was able to shadow people from other departments; however I often had to miss interesting events due to them being in Southbank (London) or not being able to take time off my normal role.

I felt extremely valued by the colleagues in my team as well as my management team, they were always there to support me as well as relying on me for anything they need – we truly always worked as a team. There was not a moment in my 12 months of being here at IBM that I felt like ‘just an intern’ – in fact, most people did not even know I was on placement and thought I was a young professional. This was certainly a massive compliment and I felt happy that my confidence and work ethics match those of young professionals.

When I first started, I had the previous intern handing the tasks over to me for 1 month so I had a very good setup and settling in was very organised and smooth. Throughout my placement, my management were extremely supportive and understanding with everything I had to do, and I started off with some responsibilities and they grew week by week until I was a key member of the team. IBM are also very good with managing you as an early professional and I had constant guidance and support when it came to thinking about my future career.

There was not a day at work where I did not have something to do. My workload was normally busier during month and quarter ends (normal part of working in Finance) but was never really quiet. I loved it because I feel like being busy and getting introduced to new tasks led to me learning much more than if I was in a quieter role, also the time at work would always fly by and I was home before I knew it every day.

I had lots of responsibility and always felt like a key member of my team starting with creating/updating spreadsheets and finishing with presenting our financial data to IBM Executives and Directors in meetings. I have even had to create charts for our European Director as well as some worldwide key leaders.

One of the main things I learnt that will help me in my degree is being a lot more independent and organised with my work load. My Excel skills have also improved and I am even more confident as a person and a young professional having had exposure to Finance and Business for a year. Another really important skill I have developed is working hard under extreme pressure when required by the business. This will help me cope better in exams and in my future career.

It was quite quiet in the office I was in as it now became a small office. I believe some other IBM offices are a lot bigger with more colleagues around day to day. It was still a very nice office to be in as all Finance teams sit together in one large office. The desks were all hot desks but generally people stuck to the same desk at all times

My particular role was very organised and clear from the beginning. I had a great support network as some of the colleagues in my team have worked for IBM for decades so they had general knowledge about the company and the office if I needed help with anything, also I had regular reviews with my Early Professionals Manager to make sure I am making progress in the role and that I am making the most out of my time at IBM.

When I first started, I received basic accounting training relevant to the company which helped me understand some accounting terminology as well as further my understanding in the company and my role within it as well as within my department. I was also able (and encouraged) to help represent IBM in some events for a day as well as shadow someone with a different role in the company, however when I actually arranged to shadow someone from Sales in London, there was a travel ban in place and I had to pay for my travel myself.

I would be honoured to come back to IBM after graduation and will certainly be applying for a graduate role. One thing to note, however, is that they do not offer graduate roles to people on placement straightaway. You can apply back while still on placement and depending on how your placement went you may skip some of the graduate application process compared to those who did not complete a placement year at IBM. Also, many intern roles are not available as graduate schemes.

There were many placement students in the Portsmouth office which was lovely as I got to meet lots of new people. There were always parties and fun nights out (curry night, mini golf night etc.) organised by some placement students so the social scene was very good, however I did not live in Portsmouth and commuted to work so it did not always appeal to me. There were also lots of parties around Christmas time – with other placement students as well as IBM colleagues.

I did not live in Portsmouth and commuted from home instead, however from hearing what others were saying the cost of living is quite fair and not too expensive. The cost of socialising can also be very low with lots of students offers and discounts available on certain nights of the week.

There are lots of bars and quite a few clubs available in Portsmouth and mostly on the sea front which is really lovely. There is always a good choice of bars, however not too many clubs. Generally, the nights out start and end earlier than what I was used to.

There were quite a few opportunities to get involved in social events with other placement students and fun nights out organised. We also had some opportunities to get involved in sports and other activities with IBM colleagues. Another great offer was a cheaper than normal skiing trip with colleagues where you could pay the price in installments making it available to more people.