Assurance Summer Intern Review

The placement was very enjoyable. A good mix of tasks, clients, activities and training helped keep the job interesting and a number of social and networking events organised by the firm also increased enjoyment.

I was surprised at how much responsibility I was given and how much I was valued by both colleagues and management. I was treated like a member of the team at all times and never felt like I was just a summer student who was there to fill numbers.

You are assigned a manager to be your coach when you start your placement and they are there to answer your questions and help support and guide you with any problems your are having, and this was very useful. Additionally, managers and higher level staff on my jobs were always happy to talk to me an answer any questions I had.

For the majority of the placement I was kept very busy, and was continually given new tasks and areas to look at whenever I finished my work. Towards the end of placement and at quiet times, there was little work to do, but we had a group project that management had arranged for the placement students to keep us busy during these times.

I was given lots of responsibility and had my own areas of the client file I was responsible for, like other members in the team. You are given the responsibility to manage your own time and work to meet various deadlines.

The skills I gained will be invaluable. Working closely as part of a team is a key skill to have and working as teams at client sites develops this skill greatly. Additionally, the analytical skills you develop on the job and being able to drill into figures and see how a business functions is both interesting and very useful.

The office was much more laid back than I expected, with everyone happy to give up time to talk to you and discuss their role. Additionally, every week there was a casual dress day which helped keep a laid back atmosphere. However, everyone still worked hard but appeared to enjoy themselves at the same time.

From the documentation and assistance received prior to starting the placement to the structure during, the internship was very well set up. The internship was clearly structured and it was always clear what you were expected to do each week and how your progress would be monitored throughout.

The company invested a great amount in the interns. We received an all expenses paid training week down near London in the first week which not only gave us the chance to learn more about the company and the profession but also gave us a chance to meet all the other interns. Additionally, ongoing training and monitoring of your development indicates that the company were keen to invest in our development.

We were encouraged to collate feedback from our colleagues throughout the placement and during the last week this was collated, and I had an interview with my coach, a member of recruitment and finally a partner who looks at your feedback and makes you an offer depending on your performance throughout the 8 weeks. The company invest a lot of time and money in you during the placement so they hope that they will be in a position where they can offer you a job at the end of it if you have performed well.

A variety of events were organised for us during the training week and we got to meet up regularly to work on projects so there was a good social scene. Additionally, we arranged to meet up outside work on a number of occasions so the social scene was good.

Edinburgh is not renown for being cheap and both accommodation and eating/drinking out tend to be more expensive than most other areas in Scotland. However, it is much cheaper than London.

Edinburgh's night is good, with a large choice of places to go. The internship was on over the Edinburgh festival so there was lots going on in the evenings from Comedy shows to gigs.

Edinburgh is a large and diverse city so there are plenty of activities to get involved in if you go looking.