Vacation Scheme Review

The firm was really friendly, as were the other people on the vacation scheme, making it a very enjoyable experience. The work was varied and I was able to ask around for types of work that I wished to try which enabled me to get a lot out of my time here.

I was given interesting work rather than only administrative tasks. People were willing to discuss the context with me despite the firm being quite busy at times, making individual tasks much more interesting. People made a real effort to welcome me and to help me to make the most of the experience.

I had a trainee buddy in the same department as me for each week. They were both very supportive with lots of advice about how to approach new things as well as providing a realistic account of life at the firm. Graduate Recruitment were also very supportive, attending many of the events.

The skills I have developed will help me during a training contract. I hope that the information that I received will enable me to make the best choices about what direction I wish to take for the future. In particular, developing my confidence should help me throughout my degree studies and other endeavours.

The structure was a good mix of time spent in a department working and information sessions. On the first day, there was a thorough induction with varied sessions. There were also opportunities to network with people from around the firm, including a brunch with partners which provided a really interesting insight.

The atmosphere was generally really good as everyone was very friendly and welcoming. The culture of the firm was emphasised both before and throughout the scheme, so it was good to experience the positive atmosphere in person. There were also lots of social events to look forward to after work.

In my first week (Capital Markets), the tasks were less interesting but my buddy still spent a lot of time giving advice. In my second week (Corporate), I was exposed to more challenging tasks, such as writing a client bulletin, giving me the opportunity to really push myself. In addition, there were lots of training session throughout.

I was able to ask lots of questions about working at the firm, as well as experiencing the environment myself. 2 weeks, although brief, gave the opportunity to talk to lots of people about their experiences and try working in a few different departments in order to find out more about working at the firm.

The trainees were honest about features such as work-life balance, the people they work with, and other elements of the culture. Ultimately, the picture was varied as different people had different experiences, so I think the firm would provide a good opportunity to explore varied cultures under the overall umbrella of being a generally friendly environment.

The whole experience has ben extremely valuable and undertaking 2 different vacation schemes has allowed for a very useful comparison. The trainees in particular were very good at providing advice about how the firm's training could help for a future career, as well as providing honest comparisons with competing firms.