Commercial Management Intern Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at M&G working on the Commercial Management Scheme. At first I was skeptical as to whether the industry was for me, however following my eight week internship in the Transformation & Distribution Department I can honestly say it is where I want to be. I was involved in a wide variety of tasks that I not only enjoyed but learned a lot from.

I felt as if I was just another member of the team and not the 'intern'. I was involved in everything from social events to work meetings and stand-ups. This made me feel a lot more comfortable in the role I was given and I formed some strong relationships with my team which I hope to continue even after the internship.

My manager gave me lots of guidance when I asked for it however for the most part I was left to find my own work, something he believed was perfect for an intern. This gave me freedom to pursue the jobs I wanted to but also allowed me to have the security of my manager who was always there to guide me if I needed him.

Throughout the internship I always had ongoing projects to work on and was able to fit my day to day work around it. This allowed me to be as busy as I made myself and I tried to keep myself busy each day as I found it more enjoyable. However, some days were quieter than usual but there was always work to do if I went looking for it.

The team I was placed in gave me a great deal of responsibility. I was rarely micromanaged and was given jobs to do at my own liberty. These jobs weren't always menial which made me feel more important and gave me more motivation to perform for the team as they were placing a great deal of trust in me.

The skills from my degree and those learned from my internship go hand in hand. Possibly the key skill that ran parallel across both were my analytical skills. Doing history at university I was able to apply reasoning and logic to all of my tasks and deal with them calmly. I found there were a lot more similarities between my degree and the industry than I had initially thought.

The office I was placed in had a fantastic atmosphere where success was celebrated and I was made to feel very welcome and comfortable. Of course we worked hard however the balance was pretty much perfect and each day I thoroughly enjoyed coming into the office.

The internship was set up fantastically and from the very start we were looked after with the organizing of social events so that we could get to know each other and immediately feel more comfortable. We had regular insight sessions that allowed everyone to get a very well rounded and thought out view as to how the company worked. This information was invaluable as I learned things I would never had learned from my initial role.

M&G clearly invested a lot of time into us with their insight sessions and regular social and networking events. Without these events or investment the internship would have been harder to do as that level of comfort within the company would not have been there. All in all, we as interns, were treated very well and the scheme was clearly well thought out.

The future employment prospects within the organisation seem good. There is a clear pathway onto the graduate scheme if M&G think you have done well. It is certainly something I am striving towards

The social scene was fantastic and that was down to the people as well as the environment. The people on my internship were very similar to me and that made socializing easier and more enjoyable. This aspect made the internship enjoyable and social.

The cost was quite high, but then again that is London. I was lucky enough to be able to live at home which made managing financially a lot easier. Going out after work was quite expensive but if you knew the right places it wasn't too bad and not too many people complained.

The nightlife was fun but was entirely dependent on who you went with. It was certainly a once a week thing but there were plenty of places around the office where we could go and on the whole it was an enjoyable evening when we did.

Yes there were a few and all the interns partook in a community day at a cemetery in Tower Hamlets. This provided us with an environment were we could work outside the office and also work with our fellow interns which I thoroughly enjoyed and would do again.