Economics Intern Review

The whole experience was very insightful and I learnt a lot of useful skills. The staff were all really friendly and the work environment was relaxed. Staff were helpful in showing we how to complete tasks and I improved my knowledge of Excel and STATA significantly. The offices were also nice.

All the staff were really helpful, but particularly the other interns who it was easy to establish a rapport with. I was able to meet and work with a variety of colleagues ranging from school- leavers to directors. My line- manager and supervisor were both friendly and encouraging. I’d definitely recommend this place to anyone who likes a friendly, relaxed atmosphere.

I had regular one-to-one meetings with my supervisor who gave me tasks and checked my progress. Other than meetings, I was largely left to my own devices to get on with the project I had been given. When I had questions, everyone in the office was more than happy to help.

The workload was evenly spread over 8 weeks. There were always talks which I could be getting on with and I never felt overwhelmed with things to do. I was given one project to focus on and so I could divide my time accordingly. The working hours were flexible, so I’d stay slightly later when I was busy, and not when I had little to do.

I was given a lot of flexibility with the project I had been given, but was expected to produce good results at the end. In this way, I felt a good amount of responsibility, especially knowing that my work would contribute towards a published report. Catch-up meetings focused my attentions too.

The IT skills I learnt will be particularly useful in my final year and beyond. I used Microsoft Excel and STATA a lot. I got to apply some Econometrics which I learnt at university too. The communication skills I learnt will also be valuable for my future career and the time- management skills.

Really friendly and relaxed. The office was fairly quiet and focused which was conducive to being productive. However, the staff were really friendly and staff regularly brought in snacks and cakes to share. The diverse mix of ages and experience meant that people helped each other out a lot too.

The scheme was quite well managed by my manager and communication was clear throughout. However, I did not have the option to apply for a job as part of the internship, but would have to apply separately at a later date. HR admitted that this was wrong and that they would look into changing the process for next year.

I was able to attend an unlimited number of training sessions and was also given a lot of one-to-one help. I got the opportunity to present in front of small and larger groups and was given training in a wide variety of things from office safety to STATA and Excel.

The organisation has a well established Grad scheme and I would definitely be interested in returning their. However, I wonder if the atmosphere was not quite intense enough for my liking long term and I may seek a further challenge elsewhere. The friendly people and flexi time were real bonuses though.

Whilst O only attended a handful of social events with more experienced colleagues there was lots of socialising with the other interns and we met everyday for lunch and often played table tennis together. I also attended an office quiz and met in the pub for drinks after work too.

The offices were in central London and so good, teansport and accommodation were expensive. What is more, the staff canteen was not subsidised and was actually quite pricy. I also had to pay a lot of money for my accommodation in London and I had to pay for some tube travel to meetings for myself.

There are a range of clubs and pubs in the near vicininty, but again being in the centre of London these are expensive. There is a wide variety of clubs and pubs though within a short tube ride and I would say these were suitable for drinkers and non drinkers alike.

I attended quizzes, played table tennis, went to the pub, met up for meals and talked widely with people outside of work. However, some other interns got to go on team- building days or play sport with their team- this was not an option in my particular department at the time when I was there.