Business Analyst Review

I did really enjoy is overall. However, the job is very project-based, meaning that if you get a bad project, you will have a bad time. But it can go the other way, you can get a really good project and learn a lot. I luckily had the best of both worlds, my first project was terrible, I did not learn anything and it was nothing like I had expected. My second project was great, it was in RPA (robotic process automation) and I learned a lot in an entirely new field of work.

For both projects, I felt like a valued member of the team, more so on the second project, I felt depended on which is a great feeling. Especially when people, who have been there for years, come to you for advice. Plus, everyone I have worked with has been a pure joy, and very welcoming.

I felt that my line manager and my career councellor did not give me much guidance, however I was given sound advice by other colleagues in the company - both from managers and also from colleagues who had done a placement year themselves/colleagues who had gone straight into the graduate scheme. I usually asked for help from my developer peers.

This was rarely consistent, varying depending on the level of work available/needed at the given time. I was mostly busy, and my team would always be able to find something for me to do when I had capacity. Although on a few occasions I would be expected to stay slightly later than usual working hours to complete pieces of work under deadlines, this would be balanced out by more relaxed times where I would be allowed to leave early as a result. However, it should be noted that this varies greatly depending on the client you work for or the project you are on.

I was given as much responsibility as any graduate analyst would be given, and was never branded as an 'intern'. This is something that has also been consistent with my intern peers. Most teams want to get the most out of you as a resource, and equally want to facilitate your growth, so treat you accordingly. The level of responsibility was great for me; it was enough but not too much that I felt swamped under with work.

My experience with Accenture meant I was exposed to how things actually work in a consultancy company, I was finally out of the theory and into the practice. Taking actual responsibility over real work, instead of coursework, meant I was much more motivated. I developed myself really fast to ensure client satisfaction and this experience have both changed my perspective and taught me technical skills. I now have knowledge of the IT, financial and consultancy sectors.

Accenture's offices are very nice, with coffee and tea selection and tables you can move up and down. Most people hot desk in the offices, which means a lot of opportunity to meet new people on a daily basis. I think Accenture's employees are hand picked to be nice and outgoing. I couldn't have a better time with the people in here.

After the induction week, interns are left to work independently within their teams. Once you finish a project, this would be the only time HR would have much oversight of your actions as you will need to be staffed on another project. This does not involve specific rotations - you are given your first project, and expected to source your own others with the support of HR. This is a more realistic experience of what will be expected of you trying to find roles when you return to Accenture as a graduate analyst.

This is hugely dependent on the project/team you work for. I felt that my personal training and development was greatly valued and facilitated - for example, my manager encouraged me to complete Mental Health Awareness training so that I could run my own breakfast discussion session during MH Awareness week. This was a great opportunity to push myself out of my comfort zone. There are many opportunities for a range of training, include agile/scrum training, as well as the opportunity to take 3 charity days per year to give back to communities. Tracking of personal priorities / performance achievement is also hugely encouraged company-wide.

I think they provide a very decent future employment prospect. If you do well in the placement year then you have a very good chance of receiving an offer to return. Especially after one year at Accenture you become very accustomed to it and get the feeling that you will do better than most new joiners who will start with you.

It depends from project to project, I was lucky in that the project I was assigned to had a lot of young graduates so most people did activities together after work, especially if we were away from London (where we were all based). I have heard from other interns that they were the only young employees so the social life was quite dull. However, you essentially have zero interactions with other interns apart from the first week and the last day of the internship unless you are with them on the same project.

Being based in Newcastle/on client site meant that you get expenses paid for so it was great. I got my dinner, hotels and transport all paid for by Accenture. However, it also meant that I rent a place in London and didn't spend much time there during the week so that was the down side of being at a client site.

Nightlife in Newcastle is no where near as good as London, also it's weeknights where I would be there so it didn't really help. We did go to bars once or twice with all the analysts on the project but not any big night outs. But overall the nightlife was good enough if you are into some nice food and drinks.

I didn't hear about many activity opportunities, they had one or two sports nights but I was never informed until an hour before because I wasn't on the client email list so it was a bit disappointing. Any other activities that were organised by analysts were not with Accenture so I was informed of those privately.