Analyst Review

I feel that I have learned a lot, and given enough varied work to keep the placement interesting and challenging.

My team were extremely friendly and inclusive, and I was given a lot of support during the year. My colleagues were always willing to help and explain things patiently.

My manager put aside two hours a week to speak to me privately to discuss my progress, which was very helpful. A member of HR was assigned to support us placement students during the year. Apart from a short interval of confusion during a handover period, this support was generally good. The placement scheme is still quite new so some details are still being ironed-out out as lessons are being learned, but I always felt there was somebody to reach out to if I needed to.

Most of my work was cyclical, so I had a lot of work during some weeks (which was challenging!) and some weeks with few deadlines. However, there was always opportunity to seek out extra assignments during quiet periods, which allowed me to learn more about roles in other areas of the business.

The nature of my role limited the amount of things I was able to take sole responsibilty for (I was in a small team of mostly senior managers) but I was always entrusted to complete my tasks independently with little interference from my manager. I was given a great deal of trust to acheive what was asked of me. I was treated as a full member of the team rather than being 'just an intern'.

My placement allowed me to gain great insight into what life will be like in full time employment, as well as what will be expected of me once I graduate. I am now aware of some of the things that managers look for in new employees. The most useful thing I feel that I have learned is what my own key development areas are, which will be useful for future growth

There was a heavy emphasis on appearing and acting professional (it is a bank after all) but there were a lot of events planned throughout the year, mainly after work. Dragonboat racing and dodgeball tournaments were fun, and there is a good after-work nightlife in Canary Wharf.

There were several times when certain details of the scheme were a little unclear, but I generally got the impression that most things were organised quite well. The placement scheme is still quite new so some hiccups are to expected, and there was considerable organistional change occuring during the year which complicated the situation, however, I never had any serious concerns that anything would affect how much I would learn during the year.

My manager was very focussed on making the year an effective a learning experience for me. The placement scheme included regular training sessions specifically designed to ease us into the professional world and focus on developing our personal talents. These were supplemented by access to the full range of training schemes available to employees on the graduate scheme. My manager also approved the funding required to send me on an external training event to learn how to use a specific piece of software.

The placement year is a great chance to prove that you are a good potential employee to your managers and relevant HR contacts. There is a well established graduate scheme which seems to appreciate the time you have already spent within the organisation during your placement. There is lots of support during the year to ensure you can promote yourself effectively and, if you seek them out, there are plenty of opportunities to show what you are capable of.

Although there were only 4 placement students on my scheme, you soon meet the younger, more sociable people in the office. They were friendly and inclusive when I first arrived and we soon had a regular group of drinking buddies.

Central London - that is all.

Canary Wharf has lots of great bars which have a good atmosphere in the evening after work, and the rest of London is only a short tube ride away. Night buses are great for getting home after a night out! Management occasionally organised team events in local bars (with big tabs!)

There are some activities arranges through work for evenings, but most of these were only semi-organised as offical events. Mostly, these are team meals and social after work drinks. However, one of the other placement students I knew was in a 5-a-side football team made up of his colleagues, so there are some good opportunites if you are pro-active.