This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
-
The Company
-
The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
I spent 8 weeks in Leeds doing an Investment Consulting internship. I really enjoyed my internship. Having never studied finance before I enjoyed learning about investment. Also the work environment was great. Everyone was welcoming and friendly, and there were a lot of socials so I got to get to know my colleagues outside of work.
From the start of the internship I was made to feel very welcome. I was assigned a buddy as my go-to person but I still felt like I could go to anyone if I had a question. Also, everyone made an effort to get to know me and the other interns.
Every person that I did work for was very supportive. If I ever had a problem or needed something explained this was never an issue because my colleagues would always take some time to help me. I also had meetings with my manager throughout the internship to talk about how things were.
I didn't have much work to do by the end of the internship which is understandable because people didn't want to give tasks that I couldn't finish on time. In the other weeks I always had work to do but never felt overwhelmed. As well as being given tasks from colleagues the interns did a technical presentation and a group project - so I never had nothing to do.
I was given as much responsibility as possible - but given that I was working in Investment everything had to be double checked. The level of responsibility given to me definitely increased as the weeks went by because I understood what I was doing more and I gained more trust from my colleagues.
This internship has provided me with an understanding of what it is like to work in a professional environment which has helped me to decide my future career path. Having never worked in finance before, I developed many essential skills and a much deeper understanding of finance throughout the internship. Other than that I have been able to develop presentation skills, confidence and team working skills.
The Company
The office was open planned and used hot desking (where you don't have an assigned desk). This meant that I got to talk to someone new every day and definitely helped to create a great atmosphere in work. Also because the Leeds office is relatively small everyone knows each other and this contributes to a great atmosphere in the office.
The internship was very well organized. There were two induction days in London at the start where we got to meet all of the interns (and one investment specific induction day which was very useful). Then we were given learning sessions throughout the internship to help us understand the investment LOB, and optional sessions to learn about the other areas of WTW. They also organised a group project and a technical presentation.
The company set up two induction days at the beginning of the internship to introduce us to the company and our specific LOB. Throughout the internship the company set up training sessions which were particularly useful to me - having never worked in finance. The company also set up an intern project which we travelled to the London office to present.
Sports and Social Club
Company Parties/Events
The company is very supportive and professional and the Leeds office is great to work in because everyone is so friendly. I think that WTW would be a great company to work for because there are lots of benefits to the job, and because the working environment is very sociable.
The Culture
Leeds is a very affordable place to live and socialize. There are also lots of things to do - bars/shops/cinema, and lovely places to visit nearby. I did not stay in the city centre but this was not a problem because the trains into Leeds are very frequent and this probably saved me some money.
Yes, there were lots of opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work - the work has a tag rugby team and football team. They also ran a team competition. There were also a couple of work socials during the internship. Because it was a sociable office there were always opportunities to get involved in activities.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
Business Operations, Investment Banking
Yorkshire and Humberside
August 2018