Business Analyst and Sales Support, Global Business Partners Review

Fantastic company with real responsibility from day one. You're certainly chucked in the deep end, but if you're proactive and willing to learn then there's a lot to be gained by working at IBM!

My team were very supportive and encouraging throughout my placement year. Never did I feel like the intern in the team, they treated me as an equal!

There was not much formal training/support as you're expected to go about finding the information out for yourself- but I liked this challenge and found it was actually the quickest way to learn

Never bored, sometimes very busy, but this wasn't all the time and it's to be expected at busy times in the quarter.

HUGE responsibility which is great! Management trust your work and judgement, and there are always opportunities to take on more tasks and responsibilities as you progress through your placement year.

Extremely valuable skills, that I will be taking back to university and more importantly when I apply for graduate schemes. This placement year at IBM has been a fantastic experience and a great foundation for your future career path.

Great office atmosphere- IBM have "hot-desking" so you can literally sit anywhere you like. It's very sociable as you get to mix a lot with other interns who are doing different roles to you, as well as more senior members of staff, so it's great exposure!

Good 2 day induction with many other interns in Portsmouth, before I started work in the London office. Your task manager is usually extremely busy so it's difficult to get time with them to go through tasks and get some more in-depth explanation, so it's mostly your previous intern who will do the job handover. However, if you are proactive and get the time into your managers diary then they are always willing to help too!

You are assigned a PDM (Professional Development Manager) at the start of your placement year and you have reviews with them at 2 months, 4 months, 9 months and 12 months. Although it's nice to know you have that HR support, I found my actual task manager and team were more influential in my training and development. There are also 2 training days for interns in the year (but personally I didn't find these overly useful).

Very appealing as there are just so many opportunities as it's such a large organisation. However, it can actually be quite overwhelming and confusing at times. I think the graduate opportunities available could have been communicated better within the organisation, as I had to do a lot of my own research and meeting arrangements to find out more information. If you're interested in Sales, Consultancy or Technical roles then the IBM Graduate opportunities are fantastic.

Fantastic social scene amongst other interns as there are just so many of you! I have also been for drinks with my team after meetings, which was a great opportunity to network further.

As everyone knows London is expensive! But as I was living at home I found I had plenty enough to spend on meals and evenings out, but I do know some other interns who were living in London and having to pay the rent, did struggle sometimes.

Great restaurants and bars nearby, may need to go a bit further to find a decent club.

IBM offer lot's of 'Giveback' opportunities for you to get involved in on your placement year so this can be anything from mentoring university students, helping out at assessment days, careers fairs, giving presentations at your old school... the list is endless! There are also numerous sporting events/ office teams you can get involved in.