Finance Executive Intern Review

I really enjoyed my placement at PRUK - Everyone treated me really respectfully and kindly, I did not feel like a temporary member of staff. I was given enough responsibility to feel like a valued member of the team, but equally was given enough support to not feel stressed by it.

In my role I was given a lot of trust and responsibility; I was not patronised or micro managed. I was always told when I had done a good job, even by more senior members of the company. This was further reflected by the opportunity to take on more responsibilities.

I felt that my manager had my back - My manager was always there to support me should I need it, and was more than happy to explain what we were doing and why. I also appreciated my manager looking out for me, and making sure my workload wasn't getting out of hand.

My role was definitely busy, but this is just a reflection of being an important member of the team. Of course, there are more relaxed days every now and then, but more often than not there is always something that can be done. There are some really busy days, but nothing that is insurmountable.

I feel I was given a lot of responsibility, however not in an manner that was overwhelming. Obviously, when I started I was not in a place to be taking responsibility for everything, but over the course of the year, as I grew more competent and confident, the responsibilities increased also.

These skills will undoubtedly help me upon my return to university and beyond. It gives real life context to the subject matter at unveristy, but what is really invaluable is having experience when I will begin a graduate role. There will be no naivety when beginning the graduate role, and I have a good idea of how things should be done / what might be expected of me.

The atmosphere is good, it's not too corporate and the staff are really nice. It is a fast paced FMCG business, but it's better to be lively than to be slowly ticking along.

The palacement scheme was very well organise; I was put into contact with my predecessor before I started who gave me advice on what to expect, and lots of support was given. I particularly enjoyed the fact that there were many other interns in the company, as there are people in the same boat as you, and the opportunity to make friends.

I learnt an awful lot about Excel and similar programmes. I also learnt a lot about the industry.

Very appealing, should the opportunity arise. While there is not an official graduate scheme in place, for my deparment I definitely feel there is a clear path to returning, and opportunities for progression and personal development beyond this. Many interns have returned, which is testament to the company and the placement year scheme.

The social scene was excellent. Being a convivial company, PRUK host lots of company events, ranging from small tastings of new product launches, to wide scale company parties. There is a large group of placement students, and we have a good social relationship; particularly as many have moved to London from other areas.

Whilst I lived at home, I know many of the interns found living in London quite expensive. Socialising really depends on what it is you want to do, and to what extent. However, since the office is not in the City, things like commuting and buying lunch are not as expensive as they might be.

There are some bars in the business park itself, but Chiswick isn't exactly Shoreditch High Street. However, it's really not very far from Hammersmith, and transport links are good enough to get into Central London easily. There are some local pubs also which are good, but not exactly late night.

There are always oppporunities at PRUK to get involved in something different; whether it be the range of different sports clubs, something charitable, or even company events. I personally took part in the after work football. I'd strongly recommend getting involved in as much as possible since it's a great opportunity to try new things.