Summer Intern - Sales Review

I found the internship was really enjoyable as the people were lovely and I managed to get involved on some really interested projects. My team mates were really friendly and so were the team mates from other teams. I liked the company culture and there were also lots of social activities to do.

My team mates were really good at making sure I felt valued and included in all of the office activities. Despite my lack of in-depth experience, my colleagues taught me lots of the skills and techniques I needed to succeed. They were accommodating and made sure I was always happy with the work I was doing.

My line manager was really supportive. He would regularly ask me if I understood the work I had been set and would teach me new skills if I needed them. I also had a mentor as part of the company's mentoring scheme and this ensured that I felt at ease with the work I was doing.

While my days weren't always specifically structured, I could ask any of my line managers if they needed help with any work and they would set me more work to do. You had to be proactive in order to find work as you weren't always assigned work. This meant that I was able to do things that I really wanted to do and felt freedom around what I could learn.

I was tasked with resourcing and recruiting of contractors and staff quite early on which a lot of responsibility. I also made numerous visits to client sites and met with potential new business managers which taught me a lot. I could have had a bit more responsibility if I'd asked but I felt comfortable with the amount I had.

I learnt a lot from working with FDM, both directly and indirectly. I took part in training courses in the academy which taught me practical skills and attending work everyday for 8 weeks taught me punctuality. I also learnt a lot about professionalism and how to dress/behave in a professional environment.

The office remained very professional but was also great fun. Everyone was willing to answer any queries I had. The office was really friendly. We also had a work Summer social organised which the interns were allowed to attend and that broke the ice with members of the office we might not have otherwise spoken to.

The internship was well set up, with work set both on the individual and group level. There were projects to do that always kept me busy. There was structure with the 8-weeks, and there were enough induction activities at the start to make me feel like I knew what I was doing.

FDM were always keen to help me learn new skills and progress with my knowledge of the company and more technical skills. I attended training for 2 weeks which taught me vital skills and I gained professional experience as I visited various different clients and sat in on important business meetings.

There are great job opportunities with the company, mainly on their graduate consultant scheme. It is somewhat harder to get a role internally due to the stricter limits on headcount and the length of time between the placement and taking up a role (a year). I would be more than happy to return to FDM and hopefully would be welcomed.

There was a great social scene among fellow placement students and colleagues. The placement students/interns were all really friendly and we all got on well. Colleagues in the office were also great with all of them being very welcoming and inviting us to different social events that were going on.

Living in London was inevitably going to be expensive but luckily I didn't have to pay rent as I could stay with a friend. This meant I could save some of my wage and still socialise but it was an expensive area to be doing so and I had to budget.

The nightlife was great, as London has so many different things you can do. There were great bars and pubs near the office (some more expensive than others). There were also lots of clubs nearby which served everyone's interests with different dress codes, music and prices. It was a great way to experience the nightlife of a city I might not otherwise have had.

There were lots of opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work, from social events the races (which the whole office was invited to attend) to bowling socials and sports socials. The placement and intern students were always suggesting activities to do and there were office sports teams for Netball and Rugby.