This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
The placement was overall enjoyable since it combined learning activities with practical experience. Learning activities included lunch and learn session, introduction to commodities course and presentations from other teams. The social activities organised by HR and charity events also made the programme more enjoyable - hence the overall positive feedback.
People in the company were all really helpful and supportive - I was assigned a trader from the power desk as my buddy and it was extremely interesting talking to her and ask questions about her job. I also felt welcome by everyone in my team as from the very first day they were happy to answer any question I had.
My line manager, my supervisor and my buddy were all really helpful - I found very useful to have a buddy who could advice me and answer my questions. My supervisor had a long experience in the industry and was very prepared - I enjoyed learning from him. I also felt welcome by everyone in my team and from the very first day they were happy to answer any question I had.
The first few weeks I was not really busy and it took me some time to get access to the different systems I needed. However, after the first few weeks when some of my colleagues went on holidays or left the company, I was assigned more and more responsibilities and therefore I was quite busy. On the other hand, I was not given an individual project.
After the first few weeks I was assigned more and more responsibilities and I was taking ownership over entire processes - I enjoyed being the one in charge of certain processes and work closely with other teams in order to complete the tasks I was assigned. Once I demonstrated I was trustworthy and reliable I was assigned an increasing number of responsibilities.
It was good learning more about energy markets, however I don't think I will continue my studies in this area or work in this sector in the future. I also enhanced my technical skills by learning basics of VBA and dealing with a complex set of information. I also increased my ability to work in a team and work under pressure.
The Company
The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed - we had free fruit in the office, which was a great initiative to keep employees healthy. At times however it gets really busy, especially early in the morning and late in the day, therefore it is important to understand the best time to make questions or start a conversation.
Fairly well organised.
Lunch and learn activities, introduction to commodities course, and presentation from other teams were organised in order to provide the interns with a background about commodities and give the a overview of EDF Trading. However, it would have been helpful to have more learning activities and courses at the beginning of the programme so to be more prepared before starting in the assigned team.
Working at EDF Trading is definitely really appealing if that will eventually lead to a role in trading - however it seems fairly difficult to move around teams. Positive aspects of working at EDF Trading are the early responsibilities and the exposure you get. The few opportunities of move around teams or join a graduate scheme are definitely drawbacks.
The Culture
It was quite common going for drinks together
Very expensive
Mainly bars and pubs
Mainly charity events and team activities
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
London
August 2017