Intern Review

Overall, the internship was very enjoyable and planned in a way that everyone could learn and make the most of the experience. The work given was at times challenging, but there was always someone to answer questions and explain concepts clearly. At the beginning of the internship, we were given a clear plan for the time we would be there, told which clients we would be working on, and what was expected of us. Events were planned for us to participate in throughout the internship, giving us an opportunity to meet other interns and staff in both formal and informal settings.

I was treated with respect by all colleagues and my ideas were always valued and listened to, even though I had little experience. Immediately we joined, everyone was friendly and helpful in terms of teaching us and working with us. The atmosphere was relaxed but hardworking, and teams were always open to ideas and questions, even from the interns. The firm has a great culture of treating everyone with respect and listening to others without prejudice, this really showed throughout my internship.

All managers I worked with made themselves available for any guidance and help we could need throughout the internship. They tried to be visible and were usually easy to find and talk to. This was usually unnecessary as there were other people who we could talk to before needing to speak with the managers.

For most of the internship, we were assigned to a specific job/client and had lots of work to do. During down times, we were expected to seek out work, do admin tasks, work on our internship projects, or find out about other departments in the firm. We were encouraged to complete our work and use initiative to find other tasks we would be interested in doing.

We were given the same level of responsibility as the first year graduates, with our work subject to review in a similar process. We were trusted to speak to clients independently. We were held jointly responsible with our teams for making sure that any work that needed to get done, was.

I developed a lot skills that would be helpful for my degree - increased proficiency in Excel, better understanding of the financial industry, improved attention to detail and better communication skills. All of these will be useful both in my degree and any future career I choose to embark upon.

The firm gave us a thorough induction at the beginning of our internship and there were further opportunities for growth throughout. We were booked onto, and encourages to attend, workshops. We also got to do a few hours of online training that were both helpful for the job and for improving our commercial knowledge and skills.

There is a clear path from the internship to the graduate scheme that was explained clearly to us at the beginning of the internship. Everyone knew what they had to do to get the offer of employment from the firm. At the end of the internship, the assessment process was straightforward and we got our feedback very soon after.

There was a great social scene amongst other interns and colleagues. There were many events both organised by the firm and informally between colleagues that we were always encouraged to attend. Fellow interns were very friendly and sociable and we organised our own get-togethers during lunch times and outside working hours.

I completed the internship in the company's London offices which meant that the cost of living was obviously high. However, this is a known fact and as such, compensation from the internship is higher than it would be at other offices around the country, so the cost of living alone should not put anyone off.