Finance Summer Intern Review

I worked in one of the business units, British Gas Services & Solutions, tracking financial performance in a business partnering capacity. This involved conducting financial analysis on the performance of a set of products and reporting my analysis to partner teams in other commercial departments, e.g. Marketing and Digital. It was very collaborative but also gave me a fundamental grasp of technical accounting skills.

Technical skills included financial analysis techniques such as variance and trend analysis, and soft skills involved communicating with interdisciplinary teams and presenting in front of smaller and larger groups.

Although my work was assisted and monitored by my manager as and when needed, I was still given a lot of responsibility to go away and complete tasks of my own accord, and I saw how my work was having a real impact on the wider teams I was supporting. I was doing relevant and important task and was invited to meetings where real strategy was discussed, and my input was encouraged.

My manager struck a great balance between close support in the opening weeks and encouraging independence as my proficiency in the role developed. My hand wasn't held but I still got the support I asked for when I needed it. The initial and midterm training and development weeks led by the Emerging Talent team were very comprehensive and supported me in developing my professional skills alongside my development in role.

The company culture is smart-casual. It is a very professional working environment with expectations of hard work and commitment, and yet you always feel like you can be yourself, chat to colleagues around you and everyone (even senior people like the CEO and CFOs) is very approachable. You are welcomed into this environment and treated like an equal member of the team.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time here in the Windsor office. I really got a lot out of it as I stayed down here almost the entire 9 weeks and visited the office daily. Staying close to the office allowed me to connect with my fellow interns and as a result I also enjoyed my time socialising outside the office. Overall, I had a fantastic summer and feel like I developed myself significantly while having a great time.

Yes

Take the application process seriously because it really is worth getting a place here. The opportunities for personal development are huge and Centrica really invests a lot into their emerging talent. Also, don't be afraid to ask ANYONE questions when you get here, I did but I wish I had asked more because when I did I got so much out of it.