Summer Intern - Business Readiness Review

I really enjoyed my internship, it has been a great opportunity to meet talented and experienced professionals who have taught me much. I especially feel this has been true in regard to the development of my professional skills in the workplace environment, such as time management, multitasking, stakeholder management, networking and contact development.

All of the colleagues I have engaged with have been extremely supportive where they can be and accommodating when asked for help. They have been not merely professional, but even friendly, encouraging when I was struggling in some regard and acknowledging me when a job was well done. I have received constructive criticism, with an emphasis on constructive; this has helped me grow.

The support and guidance given by colleagues and my manager has been a nuanced balance of giving me real responsibility and challenging tasks, alongside providing me with the resources, information and direction needed to independently accomplish my tasks to satisfaction. This balance has helped me grow; by not handing me just instructions to get the job done, they asked me to challenge myself, try and see what I can achieve on my own, and then review it with them at intervals to get feedback and direction for improvement.

I was very busy on a daily basis, the internship is not just about working on delivering your tasks but also getting to know the company and learn all that you can about it - it is a large company with many different operations and there has consistently been more to learn and more to proactively do. The tasks themselves have also required me to be proactive and think about how to do them better, keep improving and following up on the results.

I was surprised by the real level of responsibility I was given during this interview. I have worked on three projects, all with consequences and operational impact on the business, the stakeholder and eventually the customers. The fact that I was given autonomy and freedom to deliver these projects, working as a business development lead on them had given m a real sense on responsibility and experience in delivering.

The skills I developed will greatly benefit me in the future, I have learnt a lot on how the 'world of work' functions, the importance of relationship building and management, working as a part of a team, how to persuade and get support in order to meet your objectives and get the job done. Training in areas like presentation and excel skills was given, which has been of great help on two areas I felt lacking in when this internship.

It is a relaxed atmosphere here at the office, people are doing their jobs of course but are always willing to help out. This branch (in Stockport) does not have as much of a corporate atmosphere as some of the other ones in London, but has a great balance that encourages productivity (open seating plan) and opportunities to distress e.g. there is a library to casually read in, the cafeteria has good food and a lively ambiance, the office is also surrounded by trees and greenery which gives it a peaceful feel.

It has been very organised. We have been provided with accommodation, expenses for travel to other locations and various training days and opportunities to further our development. The structure is very well thought out, with constant support and feedback given from managers as well as guidance and advice from current graduate scheme colleagues. There has also been a lot of contact and engagement from the talent and graduate development team to keep u sin the loop and informed.

The company has invested a lot towards my training and development. It has been evident that although my line manager and other colleagues are busy people with a heavy workload, they have been willing to take time out and make time if necessary to help me and answer questions. There have been multiple development days, such as excel training, team building, presentation skills and the opportunity to gain a professional accreditation.

If given the opportunity, I would love to take up a place on the graduate scheme. I am particularly interested in this scheme because it has a wide range of roles available which will help me get varied experience and skills, accelerating my development and exposing me to a large array of business functions and practices. I am interested in working in the energy sector and Centrica is one of the biggest players in it, this is where I will have an opportunity to participate in changes in the future of the Energy market.

We were placed as a group in an apartment and get along well with each other, there are opportunities to socialise and have dinner together as a group after work. Upon traveling down to the HQ in Windsor we are also given the opportunity to meet, network and socialise with fellow interns places around the country in different job roles, this has lead to a few social events and mixers at the pub! Furthermore, I have made friends and contacts for the future and will

The cost of living in any metropolitan are is high, being based in Manchester this was the case. However, I found the accommodation provided by the company to be more than sufficient, it was comfortable and we were given an en-suite facility. The financial allowance was also sufficient to enjoy a good standard of living in terms of having enough to eat well if you cook for yourself, occasionally eat out, entertainment on the weekends and a little left over for savings.

Yes, the nightlife in Manchester is legendary! There were plenty of opportunities to explore the scene and de-stress during the weekend with fellow interns. The prices aren't cheap but that is to be expected as it is a major city and there is a demand for it! We were ideally located near the Northern Quarter where most of the bar and nightlife is located so the area was quite lively and a convenient walk back home from a night out.

There was plenty of opportunity to get involved in activities outside of work, we undertook a challenge to raise money for our charitable partners Shelter, to do this we organised office games and activities, including a sweepstakes, candy sale, hiked Scafell Pike with sponsorships, volunteered at various different locations. Furthermore, there was also the opportunity to get involved in social media and keep people informed about or activities through Centrica's Twitter account.