Summer Technology Analyst Review

Everything is relative, of course, but this internship was my third, as I was coming after 3 years of university and I can say that it was definitely the best out of 3. The variety of possible projects and teams, as well as external opportunities is so immense that you'd have to be very lazy to ignore it all.

This was with its ups and downs. Although I did feel valued every day, in the sense that I was never a hindrance or a coffee girl. However, on some days there would be pretty much no important tasks, so I would be left on my own (of course learning something passively instead). I believe it's a big problem of big companies, wanting more young talent, yet not having actually enough challenging (or sometimes any) tasks. In a start-uo every person counts, whereas here one more or one less salary will not make a big difference, so the company would not lose much over you not working for a day.

This part was truly amazing - I had A LOT of people I could go to and everyone was super nice. Each intern was given a buddy and I got a very proactive one, giving me lots of advice. My immediate manager was just 2 levels above me, rather than some top director, which made communication very enjoyable and smooth. We had to periodically fill out feedback forms and evaluate our own performance.

This goes back to the question of feeling valued. I think although they did feel I was valued, they just couldn't come up with projects out of nowhere and there were simply too many of us. Moreover, summer is the time when a lot of people go on holiday, so it felt not representative of the actual workload (e.g. nearer Christmas time). You will not me micromanaged, so if you feel you are not learning enough, look for online resources.

My project was a big one and when deployed, affected quite a lot of developers. This part of it made me feel truly important. I was guided in some parts, yet there was no hand-holding in others, but since the workflow means your code goes through various checks, it's never a problem of breaking something badly.

I come from a very theoretical background, so this internship was super useful in applying all that knowledge. I think I now have a much deeper understanding of certain areas and would like to pursue them more in my studies. And the opposite - I now know which areas only sounded great in textbooks.

Very nice - again, beyond expectations. Cubicles are open and are grouped in 2s, 3s and 6s, so you are never isolated. People walk around the floor, talk to each other, exchange ideas. It's not loud like a trading floor in movies and not completely quiet that you are afraid to sneeze. Collaboration is encouraged and having on-site facilities like cafeteria really helps that.

There were many socials organised by HR, such as welcome social, mid-internship and leavers. We also had talks by senior people, sometimes in person, sometimes via a webcast. This internship is a long-standing one, so they know what they are doing. It's the organisation of the projects themselves is what they should focus on.

Very appealing - come on, the best bank and was also ranked by Forbes as the best grad recruiter. Definitely taking the offer and I am very excited to get back to start working properly. Plus, once you are within the company, networking gets you anywhere, so mobility opportunities are always there.

It's Canary Wharf, so prices are tailored for bankers. Which is why it gets awkward when bosses invite you to lunches/dinner and all interns are paying three times the amount we would spend normally. Although I lived in Poplar which is an area close to work, walked/cycled every day and it was below 600pcm.

There are groups of people organised by identity, such as Women, LGBT, Working parents, Latinx and so on, as well as sport societies. There are also opportunities to volunteer with local communities giving them skills (whether financial or coding) or your manual labor. All easy to find on intranet, so no one is hiding.