Work Placement Review

I enjoyed my time at EY quite a lot. I was treated like an actual employee and was able to engage in the tasks like all the other employees and I feel like this was really good for me as it pushed me and encouraged me to do well and work just as well as the people around me. I never felt like I was being pushed too hard as they also emphasised the importance of a healthy work-life balance.

I did feel very valued by my colleagues and this is because I was working alongside them more than I was learning from them and I felt like I was trusted to carry out the same tasks that they were doing and they always made sure to include me in group projects, always giving me roles to help stretch and challenge my abilities and to help me grow as a person and I definitely did grow as a person during my time there.

I was given a lot of support and guidance by my management and supervisors. This guidance was not only in terms of the job at hand but also stuff that was on a personal level such as how to manage my time effectively and how to maintain a healthy work-life balance while working there and this was useful as it is not really touched upon by other employers but they made sure to discuss it as it is truly important.

I was given a lot of tasks to complete but I would not necessarily say that I was super busy as I was practically given the same workload as a normal employee at the company so I would rather say that the workload was very realistic and gave me a good idea of how much work to expect if I was ever to work in this company or any financial company, as a matter of fact.

I was given quite a lot of responsibility during my placement. They were adamant on treating me like a real employee so I was given quite a lot of tasks to complete, practically the same amount as the other employees working there. It was nice to know that they trusted me with this work and that they wanted me to see what the company was like, giving me an insight into what life would be like working there.

I received many skills from the company, not just in the technical and analytical areas, but also in the more personal areas. I learnt how to build and sustain working relationships and how to effectively work and communicate in a team. I also learnt how to manage my time effectively in order to maintain a good work-life balance to keep my mental health in a good state. These skills will definitely help me, even if I do not decide to go into finance.

Generally, the atmosphere in the office was quite kind and caring. I did not get to talk to the employees much but when I did, they were very welcoming and provided me insights into what company culture there was like. I was able to talk to and bond with the other interns a lot more which was nice as we were all around the same age at a similar point in our lives so we could discuss and talk about a lot of things.

The overall work placement was set up really well, I feel. They effectively integrated the interns into the company's main areas of work such that we could work alongside the actual employees, working together on projects that the company needed to complete. I think that this was effective as eventhough it at first seemed like they were throwing us into the deep end, they provided us with enough support such that we were able to realise that this is how we would truly be able to experience what life is like there.

I think that the company invested quite a lot in me. They trained me in a lot of technical skills as well as analytical skills so that I was up to a similar level of competence in tasks as the employees were. Furthermore, they invested a lot to develop me personally in key areas such as teamwork, time management and maintinaing a healthy work-life balance and I feel that I benefitted from this a lot as not many employers focus on these aspects.

I do not think that this placement improved my future employment prospects within the organisation as many other people competing for the job will have gone through this placement or something similar. However, I feel like I will be able to confidently talk about the skills I have learnt from this job and the knowledge I gained about the company to really sell myself in future interviews. Therefore, there are some ways in which this may improve my future employment prospects.

There was definitely a good social scene amongst me and my fellow interns, although not really between us and the employees as we mainly kept separate. We got on really well as we were all around the same age and at a similar point in our lives so we could relate to each other's struggles and we were really able to bond as we understood what each of us was going to. There were also many places to go around to.

I did not have to worry about the cost of living during this placement as I stayed at home and rather commuted into work. However, as my workplace was in London, it would be quite a high price to live closer to work which is why this simply was not optimal for me. There were many socialising opportunities around at a great price and this was really good as it provided me and the other interns with ways to bond and places to go and just have fun.

There were many different opportunities for nightlife in the area in which I worked, as would be expected in London. There were a huge variety of clubs, bars and discos. There were many different types of each and these often provided us with something to do with the other interns if we were not so tired after work. Of course, these opportunities depend on the location of your firm but a poor choice of opportunities shouldn't hinder you from taking this opportunity.

There were many different opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work. Alongside meeting clients and travelling to different firms to see the different nuances in how the firms operate, there were many social activities that I was able to have with the other interns. There was also a few opportunities where we had company events where we were able to go and socialise with the actual employees of the company and this was quite fun.