Intern Review

Worked with the Economic Consulting team to support them on two projects over the course of an 8 week internship. The projects given to us covered areas ranging from Regulatory Economics to Impact Assessments and Macroeconomics work. The work involved Excel analysis of data and slides creation and formatting. We were given training at the start of our internship and had weekly meetings with our Career Coach to check in on our progress and provide us with advice.

I have learnt how to better format slides and create more visually engaging content for clients. I have also improved my Excel skills and learnt more about how to work within consulting as a field. More importantly, I have really developed my soft skills. These include how to communicate with senior members of the team and how to build a network. All of the team here actively helped to develop my skills and provided me with many useful insights and guidance based on their experiences in consulting.

We were given direct contact with clients and worked on deliverables that were issued to clients. We were treated as if we were Associates, so were given significant responsibilities and expected to work to a high level. While the initial learning curve was steep, the work was very rewarding and was a genuine insight into what it would be like to work here full time. We were given useful feedback on our work that helped us to develop our skills.

I had weekly meetings with my career coach, who provided me advice on how to improve my work and guidance based on his experiences within the firm. At the end of both projects that I worked on, I had feedback sessions with all the members of the firm that I had direct contact with, who gave me an honest assessment of my strengths and development points from the work that I had completed over the course of the project.

The culture was very welcoming and encouraging, with people going out of their way to make sure we felt settled in and valued. The company prioritised a good work-life balance and we were encouraged to set personal boundaries to protect time and events that were important to us. The team had a great internal culture, with everyone supporting each other and making sure that people were finding their work rewarding and were meeting the targets that they had set themselves.

I really enjoyed my 8 weeks here. The work was challenging and I felt stretched but the support and guidance ensured that I was never struggling on a personal level. The guidance was very useful, not only on the work I was doing but in terms of my career and personal development. Everyone was very welcoming and treated us with respect, as even senior members of the team would ask us for our thoughts and would incorporate our advice into the team's work on the projects.

Yes

Make sure you apply to the right line of service (LOS) as I know people here who wished they had applied to another team. While it is possible to transfer internally, the process can be difficult and takes a long time, so it is better to ensure from the start that you are applying to something you are genuinely passionate about. I would also encourage people to reach out to someone on the team, as they welcome opportunities to provide guidance and advice.