Research Assistant Review

The placement exceeded me (already fairly high) expectations. I particularly enjoyed being able to get involved in really significant work streams and taking on personal responsibility for my own work. My colleagues at the Bank and HR were also very helpful in setting myself into my new role and being available throughout my placement

Given I joined my team for only a year I was impressed by how quickly I was integrated into the team. My manager also continuously provided me with opportunity to get involved in work streams where over I would take on personal responsibility for my output and could see my work being used across the Bank

Throughout my placement I had fortnightly bilateral meetings with my line manager as well as regular lunch or coffee catch-ups with other senior managers in my unit. I found this was really useful as it allowed me to pass on how much capacity I had for new work as well as receive advice from seniors

Fairly busy throughout with some variation. As I was working in an area of the Bank which was more exposed to outside developments it was arguably harder to plan my workload significantly in advance. This meant I had some days where I was incredibly easy but also some where I was less so, which balanced itself out over time

From beginning to end of my placement I was able and encouraged by my manger to ask for more responsibility for my own work. This was usually made possible which meant I felt much more like an ordinary member of my team rather than an inferior placement student who needed to be looked after

The key skills I thought I gained from my placement where in relation to drafting formal papers and stakeholder management. Often at university you write essays partially to show off how much knowledge you have in order to gain a better mark. Good for you but bad for the reader as it can obscure the main points. Drafting material in the Bank really gave me a different perspective

Fairly relaxed and generally very friendly! Within my team we had regular socials events as well as team lunches to find some time away from our desks. Throughout the regular working day there was also always a chance to have a 'normal' chat, that is talk about something not work related

The Bank organises its industrial placement scheme closely aligned with its graduate recruitment schemes. This means that depending on the mark you receive as part of your overall performance review, you will become eligible for an offer to return as a graduate to the Bank. Overall HR was usually good at dealing with other organisational issues eg. arranging induction as well

There were a number of training and development opportunities available that were organised specifically for placement students though I ended up making up less use of those. In addition to that I found colleagues were usually open to help you both with technical skills as well as improve for example drafting techniques.

The Bank's industrial placement scheme links up with their graduate recruitment scheme. That means you can get a job offer for after university as result of your performance during your placement. This is quite helpful as it means you start your final year at university knowing you at least have one offer.

Central London is of course much more expensive than anywhere else in the UK. Personally I decided to commute in rather than move to London, which meant I had a lot more disposable income after rent and food to spend on social activities. In London that would have been different