Finance Strategy Analyst Review

The internship was well organised and there were plenty of opportunities for networking and working in different areas of the bank where possible. The HR team arranged lots of learning sessions with people from different areas of the bank which was great. The work I was given was the same work as the graduates were doing in the same department as me.

My colleagues were very welcoming from the first day that I arrived. They were more than happy to answer any questions that I had about anything work or personally related. The work I was given was the same work that I would have been doing if I was in a full time permanent role. During networking sessions the senior members of the bank were open and honest. They were not intimidating at all.

My direct manager was sat across from me for the whole 10 weeks and offered me guidance every day. He was very welcoming and made me feel like I could ask him anything that I did not understand. My line manager was also sat very close to me and we had weekly meetings to discuss my progress. These were also useful to discuss things that I could do more of or do differently.

Given the timing of my arrival (end of Q2) it was a very busy period for the team. However the couple of weeks after the end of Q2 were quiet for the whole team not just myself. My manager did try and keep me as busy as possible, whether it would be reading documents that would help me gain a better understanding of the area or arranging for me to go out and spend time with a different team.

As the internship went on and I gained a better understanding of what was happening in my department I was given increasing responsibility. This included meeting with stakeholders and conducting my own pieces of work based on information I was given. By the end of the internship I was managing the same workload that permanent members of staff have at the bank.

Upon arriving at KPMG everyone has to complete online learning modules that are bank wide but also department specific e-learning courses. These were very useful in helping me get up to speed with what was expected of me on a day to day basis. These courses were also relatable to my degree as they were both from a Finance background.

The atmosphere in the office was very relaxed but still professional. If you needed to speak to anyone you could do so without feeling like you were intruding or annoying them. The culture of the firm was one of the best things about my time there. Managers were still sat in the same blocks as their staff and again it was easy to go and talk to them if you needed anything.

The overall internship was well organised by the HR team. We had a 2 day induction at the start of the internship which ended with a big networking dinner which was very well organised. The actual internship was also well organised, we were given a pack on our first day with lots of key dates in them that we needed to keep in handy. My computer and pass access worked fine for the duration of the internship.

The social scene was heightened by the fact the Edinburgh fringe festival was on during the internship which meant that there was endless shows taking place all over the city. Even the weeks when the fringe festival wasn't on the city was very lively. There are monthly pay day drinks held with graduates and interns which were a great way to meet new people and network.

The cost of living was quite high, higher than I was expecting. However this was due to the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival being on at the same time as my internship. This meant that there was a lot more tourists coming to the city and pushing up the prices of accommodation. This is also true of the prices of socialising as pubs and bars pushed up prices due to the increased demand the fringe festival causes.

The nightlife in Edinburgh was great. There was a real mix of things to do at night, be it bars, pubs or clubs. We had a really good group of interns who all socialised a lot with eachother outside of work. Due to the close city centre location it was easy to travel out and back again after a night out. However do note that you cannot buy alcohol in Scotland past 10pm!

There was a lot of opportunities to get involved in outside of work. There was regular drinks events held with other graduates and teams within the firm. Additionally we were all given the chance to meet the CEO of KPMG which I thought was really good. The campus in Edinburgh is huge and offers sporting activities such as football, tennis, swimming and a gym. I regularly played in a department football match each week.