Vacation Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement. I was welcomed into the office but also taken out with colleagues on social lunches and nights making friends and fitting into the office surroundings. I was able to experience not only the pensions department but also spend a few days in the Investment department which allowed me to get greater experience and also see what career path I am better suited for.

Everyone was more than willing to explain how to do tasks and give me tasks to complete. I never felt I was a nuisance to other colleagues given my lack of experience. I also felt that they were greatful for the work I did for them. Although it was more simple tasks it gave me experience and freed up their time to focus on other things and this made me feel like a valid part of the team.

Unfortunately my manager was away on client meetings for the majority of my internship. However whenever he was in the office he made a point to check how I was doing. Whilst he wasn't there the senior manager took over the role of guidance and support he was easy to talk to and I had regular meetings over the 6 week period to asses how everything was going.

There was never a day when I had nothing to do. I had a rather large business development project which did not have a deadline and so whenever I was free I continued to work on this. I was also given task from other members of the team; audit assists, calculating transfer values whilst also participated in a number of training sessions and work shadowing. Overall I was alway busy even though in the summer the workload is slightly lighter as most people go on holiday.

Once I was trained and a task was explained I was completely left to fulfill the task myself (of course I could get help and ask questions if needed). Although all my work was checked I never felt as if I was just pretending; doing tasks someone would later do themself. I was part of the team doing a necessary job.

Before my internship I had not studied anything about pensions so this internship gave me a head start for my pensions module in my final year. The internship not only looks good on my C.V. but it has also gave me confidence in the career path I want to follow. The skills I have learnt show future employers that I am not only capable of learning in a classroom but also putting my technical knowledge into practice in an office this will help me to obtain my first job and also shows I was eager to follow a career in pensions from a young age.

Everyone in my office was extremely friendly, it was laidback atmosphere and there were regularly cakes and treats brought in! I did sit near a number of senior staff which made me a little bit more reserved but that was completely unnecessary and looking back I definitely could have been more chatty but that is completely my fault not theirs.

Not only did I have a line manager but I also had a buddy who looked after me everyday. I was introduced to everyone in the office and taken out to lunch on the first day. I was trained and given a number of task to complete. All organised by my buddy. I never had nothing to do and my buddy was always near by to offer help and check how everything was going. Whenever he had a study day he would brief on a number of tasks the day before that would keep me busy whilst he was away and make other colleagues aware of his study day so they could check I had enough to do and so I could turn to them during his absence. The only downside to the organisation was trying to shadows partners this was not due to bad organisation but simply that my internship was at a time when most staff and also clients go on holiday so there were only a few opportunities but I was alway made aware of these and offered the opportunity to work shadow.

I was able to participate in all the graduate training. I was also talked through each individual task so I understood how and why I was doing it. I gained a number of skills they I was able to put into use whilst also making new contacts in the industry. I learnt about whether or not this career path would suit me. Finally the firm spend a lot of time and money on me I have more experience than most graduates I am confident that I know what I want to do so I am one step ahead of other candidates for a graduate position. When I do start a graduate role I will also know what to expect and have an extra skill set from this experience that the employer may not expect me to have. This sets me apart and not only benefits me but also the company I worked for if I was to take part in their graduate scheme as I would already have some of the skill set they would to train me to have.

I would be extremely happy to work for this firm. I enjoyed my internship I made a number of friends there and I was also able to participate in a CSR day. My colleagues and I regularly went to lunch or had social event. I also gained technical skills experience made contacts and can see a bright future with this company that will help my career move from strength to strength. The only downside is the slightly lower pay than other big 4 companies.

The social scene was relatively tame but in the time I was there there where regular social outing and even a planned final crazy night out at the internship. Unfortunately I went on holiday and missed this but all the interns from different departments met up regularly and got to know each other. If there was anyway this experience could have been better it would be that the company introduced all the placement student in the same location to each other. Although there was a number of students in my office only one was on my introduction training which meant a it was a very skilled student who found all our contact details and arranged a get together.

The cost of living was similar to what I am used as it isn't too far from where I am from. This with the added pay of a full-time job meant I ended up saving quite a bit during my internship.

The night life with my department was relatively tame although I did enjoy the nights out however I know the area itself has a good nightlife something I would hope to experience if I was there for a longer period of time and not worked 9-5!

I was only there for a short period of time but I was made aware of a few female colleagues playing hockey and the men regularly played football. If I was offered a permanent position these would be things I would like to get involved in.