Investment Intern Review

The internship was a really good chance to learn more about M&G and the wider investment industry and the team worked hard to make sure I was kept busy and had interesting and enjoyable work to complete.

My team were really welcoming and included me in everything from the start. They were always happy to answer any questions and involve me in team socials etc. They gave me serious work to do so I felt like I was really adding value and being useful- not just a spare part!

My manager was excellent at meeting with me regularly to discuss my experience and provide feedback. He made sure I had things to do and was approachable for when I needed more work. He was very clear about what was expected of me in each task and made sure I knew who to go to for any support if he was unable to help.

I had enough work to do to keep me busy with enough downtime in between so that I could meet with other people across the business or simply complete some learning exercises on my own. I never felt bored and there were plenty of people keen to talk to me or offer me some tasks to complete.

I think I was given a fair amount of responsibility given my position and experience. I had a few tasks for which I was given the sole responsibility for completing (I needed approval or sign off for these still) and there were some tasks where I collaborated with other interns or other colleagues with more experience.

The hard skills were not relevant for my degree which is not financially focussed however it was an opportunity to prepare me for a future in the financial services and taught me a lot about working in a professional environment. I learned a lot about collaboration and teamwork and I feel I developed my communication skills by talking to both colleagues and clients and completing some presentation tasks during my internship. We did not have formal training but learned on the job, and had regular 'Insight sessions' to learn about the business areas and 'feedback sessions' to discuss progress and offer support on areas to improve.

The office was always very chatty (at times it got a bit too loud!) but everyone was very good at balancing their work with their socialising. It was a lovely place to work and I got on well with those in the surrounding desk area. The office had a very good buzz about it.

My manger had a series of tasks for me to focus on as well as ensuring I shadowed him in the work/ meetings he did. This helped to give me a structure to follow as I knew what to expect each day. I did however have quite a bit of trouble with the systems access and that made some of the tasks quite difficult.

The HR team were very involved from the outset, making sure our managers were well prepared and could offer an intern the best possible experience. Alongside my regular meetings with my manger I also had two feedback sessions with HR. From my experiences of meeting with people across the business it was very clear that everyone at M&G takes the internship program seriously and want you to get as much out of the experience as possible.

There is an assessment centre at the end of the internship where you may be selected to join the graduate scheme. Most of the former grads seem to have completed an internship either at M&G or elsewhere and considered it crucial in securing a job after university.

Yes! We had several organised social events but we also organised our own. it was really fun to be with a big group and we spent a lot of time together. The office location was great for restaurants and bars and other activities and overall we really made the most of it while we were on the internship together!

I lived at home which really helped but travel and socialising out of the office was expensive! London prices can be very steep. However the canteen was heavily subsidised so breakfast and lunch was always very affordable. There are some cheaper options as well for after work if you look for happy hours or student deals.

London has a very good nightlife with options for every occasion.

There's a sports and social network with various sporting leagues such as football and cricket and there's several trips to galleries or theatres organised by teams of staff. My team did a pay day drinks each month and the grads and interns organised events between themselves too.