Finance Internship Review

I really enjoyed my internship. The team was extremely accommodating and welcoming. Secondly the project assigned to me was very relevant and interesting. It definitely felt like a meaningful piece of work, and was also very much appreciated by other members of the team who gave suggestions for improvement alongside sharing thoughts on how this could be linked to previous work, and carried on after the end of my internship. Additionally the work was highly relevant to my degree of study, and also challenging. I was able to learn a lot of new things about certain softwares - a steep learning curve. However, I always felt I could ask someone in case I was stuck or needed help.

I felt immensely valued by colleagues. This was shown by welcome lunches, coffee invitations by everyone. Everyone wanted to get to know me and welcomed me as part of the team. They also showed great interest in the project, not just the overall result but also how I was getting along. My input was valued even if I have much less experience and knowledge than themselves, and I never felt inferior due of this.

My manager provided me with a detailed document outlining the objectives and sought outcomes of my project. While on holiday, there were other people I could ask for help and who were more than willing to do so. Despite this, I was left enough space to work independently and feel like my project was the outcome of my own work efforts.

I was not overloaded with work. It had clearly been thought through as to how much time the project would take. I was never bored, and even if I couldn't directly work on my project, I was able to do research which benefited my project, or attend seminars by experienced people in the field.

I was solely responsible for the outcomes of my project. This was a great way to learn independently, knowing I had support I could ask for if needed. My project was mainly research-based and therefore did not directly affect the functioning of the business however, so responsibility was purely for my own project.

The skills I have developed during this internship have been extremely beneficial to me. My econometrics skills have steeply increased throughout this internship, but additionally I have gained motivation for this area of economics which I had previously not liked as much. On the one hand my degree was very relevant to the work I was doing, but similarly the work has hugely benefited my economic understanding. Not only this, but throughout 8 weeks I had the possibility to learn from extremely intelligent people, attend seminars and learn from experienced people working in the field.

The atmosphere was very calm and quiet - a great environment to work hard and well. This is by all means not a negative aspect, in fact it was the ideal environment for the job which required concentration for research and data analysis. It was very welcoming, and very social as everyone goes to lunch or for coffee together which is great to get to know people beyond their job.

The organisation was very good. Once I arrived we were handed all IT devices and on my device all softwares and accesses that I required were already installed and approved. This was extremely efficient which allowed me to get to work straight away. My project idea had been thought through by the team so it would both be interesting for me and add value to the team.

Learning was more up to the intern. there were lots of sessions organised ranging from intellectual discussions on current news topics, to courses on learning how to use certain softwares. The culture is such that it is encouraged to learn as many different things as possible, to be able to judge what is the best way to approach a piece of work in the future.

There are mostly positives in this aspect. The work at this organisation is extremely rewarding, as you can easily see how it fits into the big picture of the functioning of the organisation. There are different streams in the graduate scheme which cater to different degree types and different levels of study. A really nice aspect is further education is highly encouraged and supported.

Yes there was. The first day was designed for all interns to meet each other while having an introduction to how the organisation functions. Following this, interns met for lunch, arranged coffees, or even met for drinks or other events outside of working hours after work. There was no "divide" between first year, penultimate year or postgraduate interns.

I didn't have to pay to live in the area as I lived at home, but I am aware that the cost of living in London is high. The cost of drinks in the local area is also high, but naturally there are cheaper options. I'm sure those coming to work in London will be aware that it is not a cheap place to live and socialise.

As far as I am aware the nightlife in London is very good. I haven't personally experienced it much myself, but others have enjoyed it. There are numerous pubs, clubs and bars, as well as a large number of restaurants, and the night tube means it is easy to get home afterwards.

There were not particularly many opportunities to get involved in activities entirely outside work. There were some opportunities to go along to early careers events to talk to those thinking of applying for one of the schemes at the bank, but I did not attend these. There were potentially other activities but none that I was directly involved in.