Technology Intern Review

I really enjoyed this internship due to two main reasons. Firstly the collaborative culture that is encouraged by the company (everyone is always happy to help or have a chat with you) . Secondly the work was consistently interesting, I was a part of a Tech team and I was given a variety of stuff to do, from coding to filming to presenting.

From the moment my manager met me I felt like everyone was trying to include me. In my first week I had a couple of ideas and they were actually discussed in our meetings, I never felt like I couldn't speak up just because I was an intern. The work I was given was also actually useful work as opposed to busy work.

My manager was absolutely brilliant. He made time every week to have a coffee with me and find out how I was doing and if anything had come up. He also made every effort to get me involved in anything I expressed an interest in, from Machine Learning to pitching products.

I was often very busy, but that's how I do prefer to be. There were times when I did feel at a bit of a loose end, often due to multiple members of my team being out on holiday at the same time, but as soon as I brought this up with my manager it would always be resolved quickly.

I was trusted with anything my team thought I could handle. The limiting factor on responsibility was definitely my ability (proficiency in coding for example) rather than an arbitrary one due to me being an intern. I also was able to meet and talk to people from all over the company, without any sense of 'it isn't your place'.

During my time here my coding skills have definitely increased a lot. I've learnt the basics of 3 more languages and improved my skills in 2 others. The insight sessions provided by HR also offered a great overview into Asset Management as a whole and (as someone who didn't study a finance related degree) I found them really useful.

The people were fantastic. Helpful and fun. There were times when it got a tad quiet but that was only due to team members either working in other buildings for the day or being on holiday. My office had a very start up feel with drawings all over the walls as well which definitely added to the atmosphere

It was fairly well organised. HR's insight sessions and regular social events worked really well, and definitely aided in feeling at home in the company. HR also offered review sessions and regular check ups. There were a few last minute schedule changes sometimes but overall it was very well organised.

I feel like the company really cared about personal development. The two main areas were HR's insight sessions which aimed to give an overview of the asset management industry, and my manager who would regular pair me with developers who would help me improve my coding skills, or send me to meetings that he thought I could learn from.

My assessment centre is tomorrow so I'll let you know! M&Gs Grad Scheme is highly respected for a reason, all of the current grads are given the opportunity to rotate through any department that they find interesting before eventually settling down. They also are given numerous opportunities to take relevant courses and develop themselves in other ways.

My group of interns were lovely people. It was a friendly and social atmosphere, a far cry from some of the more ruthless groups that my friends at other firms complained about. Friday Beers with my team were also a regular occurrence and led to a nice social feeling amongst the team.

It's central London so don't exactly expect £1 pints. I lived here for Uni anyway so I didn't find it that difficult, but other members on my team often stayed with parents and commuted in. One of the benefits of the bank area is that its very commutable if you don't want to live nearby.

Again it's central London so it's pricey but really varied. If you're the type of person who needs a good night out every other day to function it may not be the place for you, but there are plenty of great places in London. From soho to Shoreditch to Camden etc

HR ran numerous out of work activities ranging from ping pong to volunteering to cross London scavenger hunts. They definitely worked hard to encourage both the feeling of friendliness amongst the interns and give ample opportunities for social activities. If those things are important to you then theyre definitely on offer at M&G.