Commercial Finance Intern Review

My role provided financial and commercial support to Disney's Business Planning and Operations business within Toys & Stationery. I supported financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting and reporting requirements.

Developed Excel Skills, using pivot tables and creating financial decks summarising Disney toys performance. Developed professional skills, how to manage expectations and how to prioritise tasks. I also had the opportunity to improve my presentation skills, which I really valued. Disney also ran a Intern Development Programme which incorporated self-paced, instructor-led and project based learning elements designed to support and develop Disney interns, which was super helpful.

I was given a lot of responsibility during my placement, especially towards the end where I felt I could really run with projects given to me by managers.

Disney has lots great resources for support, such as their well-being hub, but the support from my line manager could have been better. I would often have to have to initiative a 1 to 1s and then ask how I can improve. The team as a whole was support supportive and encouraging, but also WFH can make you feel isolated and doubtful of yourself. A fellow intern in the team would have been nice too.

The company culture is great, Disney offered a vast variety of virtual events to attend throughout the year. It is a super inclusive culture; there is something for everyone to be a part off. As an intern you can join the Moment Makers Charity Programme. There were also coffee talks with senior management that gave a sense of transparency. It is also laid back , e.g. summer hours, which is really great!

Despite my placement being completely virtual, I did enjoy it. I now know I want to become a Financial Analyst when I graduate and that's invaluable. The social aspect of the placement was obviously frustrating, but I also view this as a positive because I had more time to focus on myself and my job. I also think it's made me so much more confident and self-aware, which I'm super grateful for.

Yes

Research interview questions beforehand & prep, prep, prep - use the STAR method. If you have a presentation in your interview, really make sure you spend a lot of time on this, as this is where you can really stand out. Try to be confident and chatty in the assessment day, but also yourself. Show that you are willing to learn.