Intern Review

I enjoyed this internship tremendously. It has been an exciting and fulfilling journey. I’ve made amazing friendships throughout this experience and have learnt so much.

My colleagues have been very supportive. They’ve provided me with valuable insights and guidance that have allowed me to develop personally and professionally.

My managers and supervisors have been been very helpful. They were happy to take time to answer my questions and explain anything I didn’t understand. They gave me space to work in the styles I prefer but know when to push me when I got too comfortable. They always check up on me, my work and my personal well-being. They always gave me recognition for my efforts and provided me with constructive criticism if need be. They’ve treated me like another colleague, inviting me to socials after work which has made me feel like I’m part of the team.

I always had work to do but I was well-supported. When I was overwhelmed, my team was more than happy to help and when I was free, I was given more tasks to help out other members on our team.

I was given a lot of responsibility, working on projects that were sometimes beyond my scope and those that provided value for the company.

It has sharpened and improved my skills. I am more confident in my own abilities. I am able to communicate and articulate my thoughts more clearly. I am able to speak to anyone and everyone, and forge sincere relationships. I am able to adapt to new situations and step up to new challenges and tasks. All of which will be helpful in whatever I embark on next.

The atmosphere is friendly and welcoming. Everyone is approachable and always down for a coffee chat. Everyone’s been more than happy to talk to you and explain what they do, and share advice from their many years of experience. They always try to include you in their conversations and include you in their social events whether that be lunch or after work drinks.

It was very organised but some of the development days were lengthy and redundant. It was repetitive and quite self explanatory. However, the self discovery days were extremely helpful, learning more about personalities and working styles. Also, more socials could’ve been set up to bring the interns and grads closer together.

The company has spent a lot in developing our soft skills. However not enough has been provided for our wellbeing. My travel costs were not covered due to the cost cuts in my team which have been very costly. Food is often not provided, even during work events. Our socials were not funded. This has not been the case in other internships. The pay also did not consider the expensive costs of living such as accommodation and moving costs.

There’s mobility within the bank to move around different divisions, teams and business lines. There’s a lot of opportunity to do something beyond your immediate team and to work on external projects. There’s also a lot of space to work on harder and more advanced tasks to push one self.

Interns were close but it can be cliquey between different teams as expected. There weren’t many socials set up but close friends often go out for after work drinks. More could be done to encourage the whole internship group to work collectively.

It was quite expensive. Luckily, my parents were more than happy to fund my expenses but this may not be the case for some of the other interns. The programme manager should look into increasing allowances and subsiding certain events.

The nightlife was terrible. The bars were fun but not much to do to go out.

No not really. There weren’t much to do because I am not accustomed to the city.