Finance Summer Placement Review

I deeply enjoyed my experience at GSK. From the first day, everyone in my team made sure that I felt welcome. Despite the fact that the company site (GSK House) is quite far from central London (which can be inconvenient for some), the attitude at GSK is very relaxed and although you are still expected to produce work to a high standard, I find myself considerably less stressed out than my peers in the Banking/Investment sectors, despite very similar roles.

I quickly got to know my colleagues very well, both in a professional and a friendly manner. From the start I felt comfortable that I could ask any one of them questions about anything and this really helped me to develop my skills further. They additionally took me out for lunch to ensure I felt welcome.

My supervisor from the start was incredibly supportive of the work I was doing. Initially, I wasn't too happy with the task I was given for the duration of my placement, in spite of its large usefulness to the company. But when I raised this with my manager, she was sure to promise me new, more exciting tasks upon completion of this one.

The downside of working at a less intense company was that I never found myself too busy (apart from occasional afternoons where I was asked to work on other projects briefly). This was especially true of the first week as, having not pre-decided what project I'd be working on, I found myself incredibly bored. However, I am aware that this was different for the other interns.

I worked in a team which was heavily focused on assessing risks and putting in place preconceived controls. This meant that as I didn't have the same risk mindset/experience and knowhow of the controls that the rest of my team did, I wasn't overly trusted with anything other than my assignment. However, although my assignment was simple, I was given full responsibility over the work I was doing and the output.

As previously mentioned, my task was very simple. It effectively involved reading through operating procedures and scanning for risks. Although I did not gain any training or new skills, I did develop a risk mindset which I am sure will become useful for me as I continue my career in the finance sector.

The general atmosphere was relaxed. People never seemed too stressed about their work (and if they were, I certainly didn't notice!). But this meant there was never a sense of urgency about the work I was doing, but this might just be because I was doing one long-term task. But overall the atmosphere was friendly and relaxed.

In spite of the very rigorous background checks and initiating documents, when I arrived at the internship I realised that they had not yet decided what I was to do. The idea was that I would meet with the leaders of each team and we would collectively decide what would be best. But given this didn't happen on the first day, I spent the first week (whilst they were deciding) doing very little.

My manager tried to make sure that I was doing a task that would get the most out of me. She was very development-orientated but made sure that I would benefit and gain skills from the task I was doing. Whether this was the case in reality is uncertain, but the thought was definitely there.

Despite the fact that the other summer students I was surrounded with were very smart (all well-spoken, Russell Group unis), this did not seem to be the case with the graduates. In addition, many of the staff complained about lack of internal development opportunities, although the company is making an effort to resolve this. Ultimately, I have very high career ambitions and whilst I still am young and have the energy to, I feel I'd be better suited somewhere with a higher intensity (and higher pay!), although this company seems very well suited for those looking to obtain more of a work/life balance.

There were 4 interns on the same program that I was in at my site, yet I was in one team and the other 3 were in a separate one on a different floor. This meant that I didn't see them much of them and didn't socialise much amongst other students. On the plus side, my team were all very friendly so I didn't struggle making friends with them!

London prices, even though the site was not in central London, were still prevalent. I did not rent personally, but unless you can find someone to crash with for free, the weekly rent for local areas seemed to be just about what we were being paid, meaning commuting was a must for most.

Apart from the two (effectively one) pubs in the surrounding area, there really wasn't much going on in the area. This extended to lunchtime too, where everyone complained about the lack of any restaurants locally, meaning the food at the cantine became repetitive. If you wanted to go out with colleagues, it seem most people simply went to the pub, then went home.

The company places a large emphasis on charity, meaning that during my placement I was offered to take a day of work and go and work on a local project with other employees. I thought this was a really good initiative. In addition, I am aware that there are various sports clubs which can add a social element to the workplace, although these were not extensive.