Bank of England Insight Day Review

The insight day was enjoyable. There was a networking lunch and coffee break to talk to other students and graduates. The HR department went out of their way to vary the programme. We were also able to participate in a business game related to the work that goes on in the Bank.

I did feel valued. It was an informal setting and we were encouraged to ask questions if need be. We were made to feel welcome as the employees were very friendly and more than willing to talk to all of us and answer our questions.

The insight was supposed to aid with applications towards the Bank of England itself. Strangely I found all the information very general and not necessarily directly applicable to the Bank.They did however give generic advice about how to fill in application forms.

I feel I gained a lot of information about the work life as an employee at the Bank of England. This was very useful when comparing and contrasting information about private sector banking. The insight day has definitely highlighted the differences between the two and I have a clearer vision of where I wish to apply.

The insight day had a solid structure. The structure was: introduction to the Bank, business game, networking lunch, application skills session, panel discussion and then a further chance to network with graduates and HR.

The general atmosphere was friendly and informal. It was engaging as there were interactive activities whereby we got to meet others whilst gaining an insight into what happens in reality in the Bank.

There was no personal training or development invested in us. Nevertheless this would not be expected on a First Year Insight Day. It was mentioned that there would be training offered for graduate schemes.

They told us little about the different departments within the Bank and the different areas of work especially for non-economists. However, they did mention what the social life is like for employees which was useful.

The insight did help a lot in understanding the company culture. This was through the networking events however and was not included in the main bulk of the information. I would therefore advise anyone to ask such questions to attain this knowledge.

The content of the day was definitely valuable in helping me to decide on my future career path because it quite often highlighted the difference between the Bank of England and other private and investment banks.

There were many opportunities to meet other employees. They came to lunch and drinks at the end of the insight day. There was also an interactive discussion with a panel of three graduates where we were able to pose any questions.

The networking opportunities were very good. There was always a chance to have every and any question answered from different levels of employees working in different sectors of the Bank. I found that the graduates wanted to talk and share their experiences.

We found out a bit about the sports and gym facilities and discounts available to employees. I got the impression that the employees did meet for lunch etc and had a social life outside of working hours.

I would highly recommend this insight day to someone who held prior knowledge and a strong interest into the Bank of England specifically. It is also a useful complement to open days at other private banks.