Spring Intern (Treasury and Trade Solutions) Review

I enjoyed the insight a tremendous amount. It gave us a perfect balance of being able to learn about Citi as a company, as well as the specific division that we applied to. We were also given a lot of work shadowing time, which was amazing and super useful in terms of actually allowing us to see what happens on a day-to-day basis. Every member of staff at Citi I met during the insight were extremely friendly and had no hesitation in agreeing to explain to me their line of work or even their career path. The insight program was also very social, where the spring interns were able to get close with each other, and there was not a very prominent competitive atmosphere.

I felt very valued during my time at the company, where it was clear that a lot of work has been put into the structuring and organizing of the program, as well as that we were given a lot of time and attention from the staff members, no matter whether they were from the HR department, or graduate analysts or managing directors. I really appreciate being able to speak to such a wide range of people, and of course the fact that they had to take their time out of their daily work for us.

I received a lot of guidance during the insight. For my particular division, we were assigned a 'buddy' who was a analyst, and also a manager, where they became our point of contact for anything we need. The support I received had a lot to do with my general queries about working at Citi, in this particular division, and general career advice. Other than that, any logistical issue was also well received and resolved by the HR department.

The skills I developed during the insight will assist me in my future development - personally and professionally - in that I learnt to be comfortable around people, as the insight program is essentially an opportunity to meet people senior to me, as well as my peers (other interns on the program). It was also extremely useful to speak to staff from HR to understand what skills are sought after in the current employment market.

The insight was extremely structured in that we were given a timetable on the first day that dictated what we will be doing every day. There was a very good balance of skill sessions, sessions where we were able to speak to members of staff at Citi from different departments, as well as more interactive sessions where we could mingle with the spring interns from other departments.

The general atmosphere during the insight program was amazing. There were roughly 60 spring interns, which proved to be a good number in that we were able to become close after the five days of the program. Everyone was extremely down to earth, and no one was competitive with each other in terms of trying to outshine each other.

The insight program was the best way to understand the company culture. Throughout the five days of the program, we were able to speak to such a broad range of people, from different levels and different departments, and it was clear after a while of which values and personalities thrived in the company. We were given desks at the specific departments that we were shadowing, which made it really easy to get stuck into the 'everyday' routine of the office, and understand better what it was like to work there full-time.

We were not paid for the insight program, however we were reimbursed travel, with a greater allowance if you were travelling from outside the UK. For students who did not live or study in London, we were given accommodation at a hotel 20 minutes away from the company office. We were also reimbursed for a meal that was not provided, and also given some credit to use at the cafeteria at the office.

There were two specific networking opportunities, one with staff members of a more senior level, and another with more junior members. Both were very well organized, in that all divisions of the bank were represented so that we were able to speak to a broad range of people. Other than the specific events, we were given plenty of opportunity to speak to members of staff, and form connections. Most of the staff, other than ones who were extremely busy, were more than happy to go for coffee with you to explain to you further about their role at Citi.

There were timetabled sessions during the insight program where we were able to learn about the corporate social responsibility activities being done at Citi, as well as networks such as the LGBT network. The sessions gave us a good overview of what was involved in the activities, what we can get involved with if we were to join, and the sessions always concluded with time where we could meet with the speakers to find out more.