Spring week intern Review

It was a really great opportunity to get an upfront view of one of the most important organisations in the financial industry. I really enjoyed hearing from grads talking about their time here at the FCA and give me and insight in what it will be like as an intern.

You could clearly tell that a lot of thought and effort were put in to running the spring to ensure we had an informative, yet enjoyable time at the FCA. They had covered all bases in terms of speaking to several different grads from different departments, as well as getting a view of the ins and outs of the company. I also feel the presentation about their new building was a nice added touch.

Quite a good amount of guidance was given in terms of when to make your applications, what to expect and how to prepare. It was also helpful to have a short presentation on how to give a presentation as this was something that benefitted in the week but will also help me in any future presenttions, including the assessment centre.

Particualry the presentation skills seminar will be very useful as I have quite a few group presentations to complete in my second year of studies. Also, having a further understanding of the structure of the FCA and how the Internship streams has given me a chance to really think about my elective modules. Despite there being grads from a wide variety of academic backgrounds, I do feel that some modules on offer could supplement my role here in the future.

I think the structure of the spring week was well, despite facing a few hiccups towards the end, but the staff were able to carry on professionally! The breakdown of each day was done efficiently so you wouldnt feel overwhelmed with presentations/ and talks or become too fidgety from sitting too long. However, it would have been nicer to have more opportunities to visit other parts of the organisation and experience what the work was like.

The staff here are very friendly and welcoming. This was great as I was quite anxious at the start of the week but now (end of the week) I feel very comfortable here. The other interns that I have met are absolutely lovely, which I am grateful for! There was a strong atmosphere of everyone wanting the best for you.

Just for a spring week, quite a lot of time and effort was used to ensure that our time wouldn’t be wasted here. They made use of all the time in the week to talk to us about the various departments so we can make informed decisions when applying. They gave us presentations on giving the most effective presentation possible, and gave us feedback after giving our presentations. The organisation as a whole are quite invested in the personal training and development of their employees, which is quite obvious from speaking to various staff members.

I think through the presentations and the speed networking was good insight into the day to day workings of the of a full time staff member. However I do think it would be much better if we had the chance to shadow employees for the day. I don’t think it’s enough just hearing others talk about their general day to day.

The insight week gave me enough time to get a sample feel of what the company culture was like. From my perspective it doesn’t seem like there’s a hostile office environment: everyone wants to genuinely help one another. I think this is a result of the structure of the organisation - they don’t have shareholder to please or profits to achieve.

It was quite valuable in the sense that it has made me more aware of the various teams and departments that wasn’t clear online. For example, I didn’t know that there was a team focused on advising tech startups withing the strategy and competition division. The presentation on this department was very interesting and informative and would very much consider working within said team.

I am yet to be reimbursed for the travel expenses. Lunch was provided freely, unless you decided to step out, which would be a cost you will have to cover.

There was plenty of opportunities to network and meet other grads in the firm. However, I think it would have been nice to have more networking opportunities to meet other staff members and get their view and perspectives of the firm and how they fit into the organisation since they would have been there longer.

The “graduate insight” option was a good opportunity to speak to a grad and have a tour of the FCA. However I feel the orgnatision of the session could have been better prepared. There was a lot of confusion of what grad(s) I would be paired with. And when I was given a grad, the pair ring shuffled again so I had a very late start to the session and isn’t get much time with them as much as the other spring week interns.

The only opportunities that were made clear to me were the charity and volunteering opportunities that staff could participate in, during the year. They give you 28 hours paid to go and do something different outside of work. There are also networks e.g. BAME, LGBT+ etc. that you could join to meet other staff members outside of work hours.

I would definitely recommend this to a friend, even if they didn’t think that it would suit them if they weren’t doing a finance degree or going into banking etc. There is a wide range of roles here that doesn’t require a financial degree. You just need the willingness to learn on the job and be determined.