Trainee Review

It was really a very enjoyable experience - I took a week of Work Experience there. I met new people both my age and older with experience, and i learnt a lot about both this specific firm itself as well as other similar jobs, as well as what to do in a real job. It was very enjoyable.

All of the employees i met, and the people assigned to taking care of me and the others undergoing work experience, were incredibly friendly and helpful. They always talked us through how and what to do for anything we needed and helped us navigate as well as that. Overall they were highly helpful.

Due to the complex nature of the firm as well as the complexity of the building itself, myself and the others needed lots of assistance to get around the building and to understand what we were doing. This help that we needed was provided by the employees and the handlers any time whenever we requested.

Not only did my work experience placement at the firm assist me in gaining very useful skills that i am sure will be handy in adult life, but it also showed me what working in an investment bank would be like, as i had little idea what it entailed. It also showed me that any degree could be useful.

It had incredibly good structure. Every day of our work experience placement, me and the other people there had meetings arranged for us in a timetable with different members of the firm in different areas, allowing us to not only have a structured week but to experience the whole firm in all its aspects.

It was a very good, fun atmosphere. The employees managed to balance work and education for us evenly with fun and interesting or engaging activities, which meant that there were few dull moments, as we were constantly taking part in different types of educational activies in different ways like meetings, tasks, presentations, visits and so on.

We did not receive much specific tailored personal training or information, however i think that this was fair enough as it was not too required. We managed to get by and were able to ask for help at any time which allowed us to have a full experience anyway successfully.

Due to the fact that the insight allowed us to see each individual aspect of the firm, as well as all areas in great detail and experience, it showed me just exactly what a placement with the firm would be like, as i got to see what it would be really like to have a job with them.

Before i went to the firm for my placement i had no idea what the company culture was, and i had very little knowledge indeed of investment banking, what the bankers did or even just how a work environment functions. My placement helped me fully understand what it would be like to work there.

My work experience / insight placement definitely helped me decide, as it opened lots of doors so to speak; previously i had not considered investment banking as a possible career path, however after doing this insight and talking to employees i realised that it could be a possible role i might consider.

The firm paid for my travel and it also generously covered the costs of things whilst i was working there such as lunch and everything. I was not paid because it was just a work experience insight placement rather than a real role with the firm, so it would not make sense to be paid.

As a group, myself and the others doing the insight met with employees from the firm, and this included employees from multiple different areas of the company, which gave us a very well rounded experience of the working world and let us see all the roles available at the firm in total. Very good.

We (myself and the other people doing work experience at the same time as myself) were given the opportunity to take part in quite a handful of the social events and networking opportunities. This was a very good help to us as it introduced us to several other perspectives and roles available and opened more doors.

All of us, myself and the others taking part in the insight, were guided by our handlers who told us lots of information about what the employees at this firm can get involved in outside of work. Their help was very useful and we found lots of activies that sounded challenging yet useful.

Definitely. This insight placement was highly beneficial to me, not only in guiding my career choices and introducing me to this line of work, but in that also it showed me how a firm or company in general functions and how the world of work is, which was a valuable lesson and will help in the future.