Operational Risk Placement Review

This was my first serious job ever in an office and it was an amazing experience. I really did not want my contract to end and go back to uni to be fair. I feel I have learned and contributed a lot to both my team and M7G as a whole, and I will definitely come back- don't know when but I will! The projects I was given were very interesting and varied, and I felt I was given true responsibility and voice in them. My team was very supportive and nice, always willing to have a nice chat during the day and helping me out with any questions. I met a lot of skilled people which I feel I can stay in contact with. Finally, I have undoubtly enhanced both my personal and professional skills which will help me a lot in my future.

Everyone is extremely friendly, always involving you in after work events. People will tell you when you've performed very well which is otivating, but will know how to give you feedback for you to improve. They treat you as a valuable asset and they always want you to do well.

My line manager arranged several introductory meetings with key members during the first 3 weeks of my placement. This gave me a good oversight, as well as getting to know people from other Business Units such as Marketing, Financial Crime, Equities, Investment Operations etc. These were all very well organised and I very much appreciated the time everyone made to fit these sessions for me, for which a handout presentation was always provided in case I wanted to go back and refer to it. I was given a "buddy" to which I could refer to during my first weeks here if I had any questions or problems, and my line manager has been extremely supportive throughout my 6 months at M&G. Even if her calendar was full she was always there for anything I needed.

I had ups and downs like in every job I guess. But 90% of my days were non-stop with tasks, projects and meetings. However I always had time to take my 1h lucnh break out of my desk to spend it with other interns/grads or just walk in the City and go shopping or to the river side. The perks from being busy is that I always had something to do so I did not feel the need of staring at the screen wondering how to spend my time until 5 o'clock. I always had interesting work to get me going, however very time manageable, If you are productive you won't leave the office later than 5:30!

I led all the projects that I was given, and even if they checked if I was doing the work I felt they just asked to double check and that they always trusted me on every task I was given. I was mever told how to organise my time giving me freedom to be responsible of my own things.

I have not yet returned to University but the time management skills, asset management insight and how a business functions as a whole will definitely help me.

M7G's corporate culture, in my opinion, is unique. To be fair I have never been in any other company but you can tell workers are happy from the number of people that have been working for M&G for over 10 years. Everyone is very friendly and willing to talk to you and helo you whenever you need support. Sports events and socials were frequently organised, and an M&G ticket ballot with tickets for fun events wwas sent on a weekly basis. People are very productive and skilled in the office, however very extrovert and fun. They will never give you huge work loads (unless its end of quarter and extremely needed)

My role was clearly defined and my line manager gave me an overview of my responsibilities, expected outcomes and future projects I would be given. Introductory sessions at the start of my placement helped me a lot and I settled down very quickly in my opinion, since everyone around me made it easy for me to feel confortable. I always had something to do and never felt useless and quarterly catch ups with HR staff were set to see how we were getting on with our placement and make sure we were happy and didn't have any issues. The application process was always clear.

I went to a few talks and workshops, but most of them were about personality types, or fund information. M&G constantly sends emails out of workshops taking place on that week, however most of them are just for permanent workers, so I was never sure if I could attend or not. Perhaps m&G should do 1 or 2 workshops a month specifically for interns and graduates, thats would be very valuable.

I will definitely apply to the Graduate Scheme once I finish university in 2 years time. The Grad Scheme is amazing as it consists on 18months rotation through different teams to give you a full in depth insight and help you decide where you prefer to work in the future.

We had a lot of events such as treasure hunt, after work drinks, movie night, pingpong night and several social events to meet all the other interns. However, this was mostly during the first weeks, and social events then stopped. But interns and grads always found a time to meet either during the lunch break or after work.

Socialising in M&G is easy and cost of living I would say it's the same as in all London-expensive. However M&G's canteen is subsidised so you can have a full meal for £4.

Pubs in the City are always full with a nice atmosphere to go after work with colleagues! There are also many restaurants around.

If you wanted there were always futball teams that played against each other at work. Also summer parties, Christmas dinners and after work or birthday drinks.