This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 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
Overall I had a good experience at GS. I learnt a huge amount in the year I was there and was well rewarded for it.
Everyone was extremley supportive and helpful and are willing to give up their time to help you.
I had both a team leader and a team manager whom were very open and made time to meet up with me on a regualr basis to catch up. My buddy was also very good to chat to informally. Was also assigned a mentor, however I only met once with him as he was from a different area of the business.
I went from being very busy and work late into the evenings to having nothing to do and asking my colleagues for work. I would have preferred more consistency.
I was working on very large client accounts as well as liaising with senior management in operations and asset management.
I think my work ethic has greatly improved as well as my technical knowledge from being so directly involved in a financial institution, i'm sure this will aid me in my final year at uni.
The Company
Generally the atmosphere was really nice and friendly, however there were a number of redundancies whilst I was there in my team and across GS. I didn't think they were handled particularly well but its something you should be aware of if your interested in working in a bank.
The programme was well set up with 4 performance reviews over the year to get feedback. There were also networking events as well however more were organised whilst the summer interns were around.
I was allowed to go on a number of training courses to improve my commercial knowledge and professional skills such as communication course, intro to investment management and diversity conferences.
Sports and Social Club
Subsidised/Company Gym
Company Parties/Events
Working from home
Healthcare from home
Times are tough at the moment and I'm waiting to hear back whether I've been accepted on the grad programme. Regardless, the placement is a great opportunity to impress and GS is brilliant for your CV.
The Culture
There is a big placement programme (around 40 in my year) and there were some social events organised by GS, mostly in the summer. There's usually a good crowd up for a beer on a Thursday/Friday after work as well.
I lived at home but the cost of living/travelling are very expensive in central London, however this is reflected in the salary.
Theres always somewhere to go in London!
All the interns were able to take part in community team work day, where you get a day paid at work to help on a community project. This was a great way to socialise with the other interns and get out of the office for a day. There are also lots of sports clubs and a gym based at GS you can join.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
London
August 2009