This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
-
The Company
-
The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
The people I worked with were very friendly and helpful. There were a range of opportunities to mix with people in other divisions and take part in social gatherings.
The work given to me were mostly copying and pasting from one spreadsheet to another, and they were clearly things that the other associates didn't want to do and so passed off onto me. I feel I'm capable of contributing more, but didn't feel like my colleagues wanted me to.
My manager was very friendly and keen to explain the technical aspects of the job. But feedback on personaly development from my supervisor was lacking and there wasn't much communication from her in that aspect.
Normal working day for me was 8:45am-5:45pm, but it was normally quite relaxed during the day and deadlines generally weren't too tight. I was quite busy for one week during the internship when I did a voluntrary project alongside my daily work schedule, which involved staying in the office till around 8pm, but that was completely optional and most interns didn't take part.
Very little, mostly copying and pasting work and giving it to the manager to be revied. I wasn't allowed very much client interaction and the only piece of responsibility I had was for a voluntrary project that I had signed up for myself.
In terms of soft skills, the experience will help with my studies, but as I'm studying a subject completely non-related to the financial services, the technical training isn't relavent.
The Company
The main thing is that it was very friendly, people got on with their work but there was always time for a friendly chat or a joke or two. There wasn't any tension or bad feelings amongst anyone.
Very well organsied, we even had a pre-placement set of questions to complete!
The company would invest a lot if you came to them as a graduate employee, in terms of offering you support to qualify for professional qualifications and mentors to guide you through developing as a person, but as interns there wasn't as much.
If you don't mind working in the same company for 15 years or so, and have what it takes, you can make partner, which would be great. But if you're the type that wants to move around a bit, then it's not great. The first 3 years in assurance is pretty poorly paid compared to other financial services jobs, it's only a worthy investment if you want to stay for longer.
The Culture
Yes, interns went for drinks most Fridays, although with people out at clients sites it can be difficult to gather everyone together.
Living in central London is very expensive! As a result I lived just outside of London and commuted in everyday, a lot cheaper!
Not sure, didn't really experience it.
Yes, there were a few opportunities, but interns mainly socialised with interns.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
Audit
London
November 2011