Summer Placement Review
by BlackRock
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
3.2
-
The Company
2.9
-
The Culture
2.9
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
Fascinating industry. Great exposure to members of the firm at all levels. Great atmosphere.
With only 5 weeks on each team, it inevitably takes some time to bond with those around you; but people were extremely friendly & accommodating at all times & people took an active interest in what you were doing & asking how they could help in several cases.
Clearly varies by team, project & manager. In my experience, people are very happy to let you get on with with your work & trust you to ask questions/for help when appropriate. Whenever I did request help/advice, it was offered unremitingly.
Again, this varies by project & team and how familiar you are with the material already. I found myself with plenty to do at all times, although things obviously get fairly intense as deadlines approach...
I was left very much to decide how to develop my projects & choose how to go about getting them done. Advice on how to get the most from my time was there when I wanted it and there were various meetings that I had to attend occasionaly, but how I spent my time was largely my own prerogative.
I've finished uni now so that part is irrelevant. I want to work here (& in the industry if not) so I'd hope that the skills learnt this summer will prove fairly useful...
The Company
People obviously running large amounts of money & they take this very seriously, but this does not prevent the office having a very amicable & sanguine atmosphere.
The lady who ran the internship has just taken a career-break & so this year's organisation is probably largely irrelevant.
I'm not sure I really see what investment in an intern's "personal development" one might expect.
Subsidised Canteen
Company Parties/Events
Staff Sales/Staff Shop
If you're interested in the industry & are attracted to a flat organisational structure which (in my experiences) operates very much as a meritocracy, then I can't recommend them more highly.
The Culture
Last year's intake was twice the size & the social scene was fantastic (this is my second internship with the firm). This year's was much smaller & the dynamic changed as a result. It is entirely up to you to choose how much you socialise, so make of it whatever you will.
No idea, I commuted from my parents house.
You're in London, enough said.
Again, you're in London: if there's something you want to try, they probably do it somewhere in town.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
London
August 2012
