Summer Intern Review

I enjoyed various aspects of the internship. On the days where I was busy and given real responsibility, I enjoyed the work that I carried out. Conversely, there were some days that I had little to do, and hence those days weren't as interesting or enjoyable. I also enjoyed it given how easy it was to talk to people about their different areas of the business - employees were generally very willing to go for a coffee to offer their help, advice or knowledge. Having graduate buddies was also a good aspect of the programme, as it allowed one to get to know other graduates working in various divisions.

My colleagues were very nice and were always willing to give me advice or help with particular pieces of work. In that respect, I did feel valued. On the other hand, some of the work I was given was a bit too 'simple' and 'easy-to-do' which made me feel less valued. Shadowing was also similar - some employees would have prepared what they were going to talk to me about, and prepared bits of work to test me along the way. Conversely, other employees didn't really know what to do with me when I was shadowing them, and the experience was less useful.

I felt I was given lots of support and guidance by my line manager. Each intern is assigned to one line manager over the course of the internship. I felt my line manager was extremely helpful and committed to my personal and professional development over the 10 weeks. She set out a whole programme for the 10 weeks for me, and was constantly asking other subdivisions if I could shadow them. She also made sure I had work to do throughout the internship, and would always offer advice if I was unsure about how to complete certain tasks.

How busy I was throughout the internship fluctuated a great deal. Rather than being given a long project to work on, I worked on a number of small projects throughout the internship. I also moved across subdivisions frequently on the internship. This meant some days, the work 'built-up' and I had lots to do. Conversely, other days I was bored and spent my time completing the mandatory E-learning all interns had to. Therefore, how busy I was on a daily basis varied a great deal over the internship. Some days the work mounted up, but more usually other days I didn't have much to do.

Overall, I was given a fair amount of responsibility during the internship. One of my key projects involved measuring the performance of the subdivisions within the department, and reporting back to the managers. Even when at some points the work became a bit 'boring', it was still work that had to be done, if not by me, by some other member of the division. This made me feel that I was being given a large amount of responsibility, given how important it was that the work was done.

I feel I improved key transferable skills throughout the internship such as communication, leadership and organisation. These will undoubtedly be of use, wherever I choose to work going forward. The training I received was also helpful, as there are a large amount of voluntary learning resources available at the FCA, which all employees have access. The one downside perhaps was I didn't feel I gained as much technical/specialist knowledge as I'd wanted to. Going forward however, I certainly improved the core skills and qualities that are needed in most workplaces.

I really liked the general atmosphere in the office. It was very much a 'chilled out but still busy' vibe. This meant whilst people had a lot of work to do, and the office was quiet enough for them to concentrate, you could also go up to people to chat about their day etc. There were also soundproof meeting rooms on every floor, which meant anytime you wanted to discuss something important for a while, you could go there. Overall, the atmosphere was very relaxed, which allowed me to get on with my work, but never feeling too pressured or stressed out.

The internship was quite well organised. My line manager sorted a 10-week programme out for me at the start, whereby I could rotate around various subdivisions within the department. There were also 'learning lunches' every week which allowed interns to gain exposure to other areas of the business. I do however feel the internship was too long if spending 10-weeks in only one division. The structure and the organisation of the internship could be vastly improved, if permitted to spend 5 weeks in one division, and 5 weeks in another. Otherwise, it can drag.

I felt I learnt a lot 'on the job' due to my colleague and manager working around me. HR was also helpful in support and organisation. However, I don't really feel the companies invested in me or the other interns. The only opportunity for development were through voluntary online E-learning modules. There were no real programmes designed to train or develop the skills and knowledge of the interns.

Future employment prospects are very appealing at this organisation. The graduate programme is extremely attractive. Firstly, it offers a very competitive salary, especially for rigid 9-5 working hours! The graduate programme also allows for a number of internal and external rotations, so you can truly discover where you're best suited at the FCA. Hence, future employment prospects are extremely appealing.

There was a good social scene amongst the interns. At the start of the internship, two interns were designated as 'social co-ordinators' and it was their responsibility to sort out social activities for the interns, once every week or so. Given there were only 20 interns, a few of us became good friends. Social activities were also organised with graduates as well, so there was a good social scene. It did however revolve solely on going to pubs and bars though.

The FCA offices are in Canary Wharf, which is generally quite an expensive area. My only costs during the day were travel, lunch, and after-work drinks. Travel was expensive, but this is the same in every area of London, given I took the train in. Given the FCA has a good subsidised canteen, lunch also wasn't too expensive. However, having lunch outside the canteen was (around £7). After-work drinks were expensive, but there are a number of bars who did 2-for-1 deals, which we readily exploited.

The nightlife around the area is pretty good. There are loads of bars and pubs around Canary Wharf, and the atmosphere is always very buzzing. There is also a large underground shopping centre at Canary Wharf, which also contains loads of places to eat and drink. Overall, I was quite impressed with the nightlife in the area.

There were a fair few opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work. The Sports and Social club offered activities such as the JP Morgan 5k run, 5-a-side football, heavily subsidised theatre tickets, a Thames boat cruise, a netball team to name but a few. Given the FCA are moving to Stratford offices next year, there were also opportunities to see the new offices during working hours with your team, which was fun!