ITS Finance Intern Review

I have really enjoyed my placement at Siemens. I have been presented with many different opportunities and activities to involve myself in and feel just as valued as a permanent member of the team. As well as learning more than I ever thought I could have done in a years placement, I also been able to construct a professional network which is a great bonus.

I always felt valued by my colleagues. My Manager worked in a different office to me so I was given a supervisor in my office who made sure that I was okay and supported me through my placement in case I had any issues or needed assistance with any of my daily activities. I was treated just as any other employee would have been and I always felt very welcome in my team.

My Manager worked in a different office and was often very busy due to his position in the company, however I knew that I was always able to contact him if I had anything I needed to ask him. He was always happy for me to get involved in whatever I wanted to and wanted me to get the most from my experience. I had a supervisor who worked in my office and a mentor type colleague who had previously done my role and came back to this business with a permanent role. This person made sure that I always had regular 1-1's and would phone me at least 3 times a week to check in with me. Overall I could not fault my Manager, Supervisor or Mentor as they have been one of the main reasons my placement has been so great!

I always felt like there was something that I could be working on even when there were quiet periods. The busiest time for me was during month end and just after when I would be running a lot of reports. Mid month was a quieter time for me. I also had a BIP (Business Improvement Project), which was not related to my job role, which kept me busy alongside my main job role.

I would say that I was given a high amount of responsibility during my placement but not to a level where I felt stressed or under too much pressure. Some of the month end reports that I ran were very important to the Team especially since they were ICFR controlled. I also had to provide monthly updates on the Sales and Orders Position to the Senior Management Team.

My confidence has improved greatly since working for Siemens and I would now feel a lot more confident going into a graduate interview to talk about my experiences. I feel as though skills such as communication, organisation, attention to detail have all developed alongside my accounting and financial knowledge. The excel skills that I have developed will be very useful for my future University work and graduate role.

The site that I worked on was very large, with two main office buildings and a factory which meant that there were a lot of people working here. There were a lot of activities and events organised on the site which created a positive and healthy atmosphere. The atmosphere in general in my office was great, a lot of different departments sat on my floor which was lovely.

The work placement was set up well. I was given a clear list of tasks that needed to be completed at certain dates in the month, which meant I always knew what I needed to be working on. It was made clear to me from the start of my placement what was expected from me.

Siemens clearly values its entry level talent. Under Siemens plc we were given 3 training courses in the year, the first being around improving your presenting and meetings skills, the second was called '7 Habits of Highly Effective People' and the third was a career planning workshop to help guide us into the career which is right for each of us. We were also thrown a huge Gala in Manchester with a lot of Senior Management to celebrate the successes of our work in the year. Furthermore, under Siemens Mobility we were assigned BIP projects to create a business improvement which would then be implemented.

Very appealing to me. The graduate scheme puts you in a great position as it has all the same benefits as the Intern scheme, if not more! Siemens also funds your professional Finance qualifications whether that be CIMA / ACCA. I have been given the opportunity to go straight to the assessment centre of the Graduate application process and miss out the first stages.

With the site that I worked on being so large, there were a lot of Interns, Grads and apprentices. There was a group of us that went to lunch together every day and regularly organised nights out. Siemens have an internal social network which has a group in it called 'Siemens Interns' which allows you to connect with other interns if you are not on a large site. You also have the opportunity to meet other interns when you participate in the Intern courses.

The area that I lived in was not too expensive. I was able to live at home during my placement which made it a lot easier for me. There are a lot of students in one of the main towns close to where my placement was, which means socialising can be a lot cheaper with student nights out.

As said previously, the location of my office is close to a town centre where there is University and a lot of students. There's a substantial choice of clubs and bars nearby so the nightlife is great. There are also a lot of other smaller towns in the area with quieter pubs and restaurants if you prefer that sort of thing.

There were volunteering opportunities where you could use a volunteering day instead of working, which was a great experience for me as I was able to go into a local school and talk about how I got into my role in an engineering firm. There is a vast range of activities for employees to get involved with which are normally posted on Siemens internal social media network.