Finance Summer Intern Review

Assisting my Line Manager and the rest of the team in their daily tasks/projects to get a flavour of how Finance works, and completing an individual project as well as a group project in order to add value to the company and understand what part of Finance you would like to go into. Sessions also regularly hosted by the Internship Programme about various aspects of employability.

I have learnt how to effectively work at home having never done so before. I have developed my communication skills, having presented in front of various audiences whilst on the programme. I have also improved my teamwork skills, through the group project that we were involved in, despite the fact that we were all completing the group work virtually. This internship has generally improved all my soft skills.

I was given my own work by my Line Manager that had real value, and then had feedback from my Line Manager. It was all part of her own work, so I really learnt what it was like to work within that area of Finance and gave me a sense of pride in the work that I was completing.

There was lots of support from the Internship Programme, and regular sessions on employability and how to make a success of the our time on the Internship. We also received Excel training from the wider team which helped greatly in our roles over the weeks, and I received lots of guidance and support from my Line Manager about the company and work and if I had any questions. I also had a buddy.

There was lots of events in which we could meet and network with professionals from other areas of the bank virtually, and we heard about the Careers Week which helps to support colleagues as they work from home and the days that can be spent during the year volunteering out in the community, which made me feel like it was a socially conscious place to work.

The work was challenging, but it was the right difficulty level for me to push myself and learn something new, which I can take back to University and life post-graduation. My team was really welcoming which made a difference to my experience, and the company culture is friendly and supportive with lots of diversity, and I felt it exceeded my expectations in that way and would love to return.

Yes

Make sure you prepare for the interview with the guidance documents, and talk about how your experiences will help you on the internship. If I reapplied, I would tell myself to have more confidence! I wish I had known how diverse and friendly it is. Make sure you are enthusiastic on day one and the rest of the internship. I joined because I liked Finance and liked the fact that it had multiple divisions.