Summer Intern Review

I really enjoyed the internship as I had the opportunity to work in a corporate environment for the first time and could try different pieces of work from different clusters in my department. Everyone is really friendly and there are lots of opportunities to join clubs/events/networks etc so you can meet lots of people.

I feel valued by my colleagues because I have been given worthwhile work to complete and been given lots of help and feedback. Even little things like no one has referred to me as 'the intern' or been disrespectful in any way and everyone has been happy to make time for me when I have asked for it.

I have been very supported in my internship as I have weekly one on one meetings with my line manager and the early careers team have provided us on lots of information on who we can contact with any problems. I have also been assigned a buddy who is on the graduate programme.

I would say I was quite busy day to day, however I would say that other interns may not feel the same way. I made an effort to be proactive, network, ask for work when I had finished and generally take opportunities. If you don't do these things then you could be a lot less busy.

I was given some small responsibilities in terms of normal workload that would expected of a permanent employee, however in my department I would say I don't know what else they could have given me as the knowledge and expertise is required. However we did have an individual intern project each and a charity project challenge, so you can take more responsibility in these areas or volunteer for leader in the groups.

In terms of degree studies I don't think there is much of an impact other than maybe time management and self management. However I think the skills and experience that I have gained here will be very useful in future jobs and give a really good idea of how working in a company like this would be.

The atmosphere was always very friendly and people were happy to help if you had questions etc. When one of the big reports gets finished someone rings a bell and everyone claps which is a nice touch. I wouldn't rate a 10 for 'fun never stops' as people do get on with their work.

I wouldn't say the internship overall was that well organised, as even though I have been given some work there are times where my managers do know what to give me. I feel like the on-boarding process was a lot lengthier than necessary and in the run up to the internship starting they could have had things like access cards in advance.

I would say the company invested fairly well in me, I was provided with lots of support and materials for personal development and the key behaviours for success. Again, I think if you are proactive you can sign up for workshops etc so it depends how willing you are to develop yourself.

For me the future employment prospects are very appealing. The subsequent graduate position that I could be offered from this internship seems very well balanced and progression opportunities seem positive. They also help you gain further qualifications whilst you are on the graduate programme so you can continue to develop even though you are working.

There were regular events held by our department's social committee, Early Careers Team and the intern and graduate council so there is lots to attend. I also attended additional optional workshops and courses which usually have some kind of social event or afterwards people will go for drinks etc. Also the interns have their own facebook and whatsapp groups where people organise to meet up so it is very sociable.

I have lived in Edinburgh for 8 years and before that I grew up in north Scotland so it is hard for me to comment on the cost of living compared to other places. Rent can be quite expensive but cost of living like travel and food etc is very reasonable.

The nightlife is really good in Edinburgh and there are lots of different places to go. You can go to quiet pubs, fancy bars or clubs for dancing in which are all really close to each other. The transport is also very good so it is easy to go between places like these and where you live.

There were lots of opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work. The company has several sports teams, social events, networking clubs and societies and just general workshops and events. I was even put in touch with the Women Networking in Banking group just to help my own networking and development.