Investment Intern Review

I worked within the Sustainability and Stewardship team. Over the course of the internship, I had the opportunity to complete various tasks for the different sub-teams, and attend almost any meeting that I desired. This included external calls. I had daily contact with my team, as well as intro sessions with various colleagues across the business. This allowed me to gain a good understanding of my team and what they do, but also a broad understanding of how the asset manager side of the business operates.

I was given access to various learning platforms, giving me the ability to independently develop my skills. For my team, there wasn't any training courses as such, but I do not believe this was necessary. My team were very happy to answer any questions that I had, or to run through any issues I was having with my projects. The intern cohort had opportunity to develop soft skills, with two presentations being scheduled over the course of the internship.

I felt that I was given a medium level of responsibility, more than I was expecting for a summer internship program. My tasks had meaning, and I understood the impact that they would have on the wider teams strategy. I didn't feel out of my depth at any time, although some tasks were more challenging than others. Overall, I felt that I was given enough responsibility to develop my skills, without feeling that I was dropped into the deep end.

I was given two graduate buddies and one mentor. My mentor was specifically matched to help me with my development goals. I regularly spoke to one of my buddies, and she was very helpful in guiding me through the internship, as she had taken part in the same program previously. My line manager was the head of team, and therefore had about 18 colleagues working under him. Therefore, my day-to-day contact was with an analyst. I essentially had as much contact with her as I wanted, and was given as much support as I required. The attitude towards support and guidance at M&G was very strong. Across the business, everyone was happy to help and guide me, and genuinely interested in supporting me. I had almost daily contact with HR, who would make sure that the internship was running smoothly and that I had everything that I needed.

M&G has a strong D&I theme running through all areas of the business. I had access to various employee networks, and other diversity initiatives. However, as the internship was virtual, these were fairly difficult to integrate into. Many of my colleagues were quite busy on a day-to-day basis, although the culture was still friendly. The atmosphere was never stressful, or heavy, even with the high workload. I didn't visit the office, so can't comment on office atmosphere.

I really enjoyed my internship and felt cared about throughout my time there. I was given exposure to most areas of the business, and my team helped me to develop my skills and learn while doing meaningful work. This allowed me to develop quickly in a short space of time. My experience exceeds my expectations, as I didn't expect to be given as much contact time as I had. I would definitely consider going back to M&G if I was given the opportunity.

Yes

This is very cliche, but ask questions. Everyone at M&G are happy to help interns who have taken initiative, and come across as inquisitive. I was able to develop at a faster pace once I became comfortable with contacting various colleagues for support. Become comfortable with basic financial terms before you start. My degree is not in a financial discipline, so I felt lost during certain calls and struggled to keep up with conversation.