Finance and Planning Analyst Review

The placement was an enjoyable year once in full flow. At the start of my placement my role was new so there wasn't a great variety or volume of tasks in my possession. However, as the year progressed I had more processes which I enjoyed completing.

On the whole I felt very valued by the colleagues I worked with and mostly did work for. It differs on an individual basis and some colleagues may not appreciate your work as well as others, although on the whole you feel essential to your team.

I was given a great deal of support by both my task managers, who changed over time, and my professional development manager who has assigned at the start of my placement. My task managers would often review and evaluate the work I was currently undertaking, offering solutions and advice as and when required. My professional development manager also conducted reviews at the 3, 6, 9 and 12 month stage of my placement to see how I've progressed and developed over the course of the year as a professional.

During work intensive periods such as Month and Quarter end there would be additional tasks and processes that required completing and a multitude of ad-hoc requests making for very busy work days. Outside of these periods the work greatly varied from having a similar intensive work requests coming through to having very little to do at all.

I was thrown straight into the 'deep end' when I started my placement. IBM treats its intern as permanent employees and you are completing a 'real job' as opposed to being an assistant or an individual that picks up less meaningful tasks.

One of the most fundamental aspects I will take back to my studies from my placement year will be the drive, self-motivation and work ethic that has been installed into me during my time at IBM. This is something I would hope to be able to translate into my studies where revision is concerned for modules and writing a dissertation for final year is required. In essence I will approach my education as a full time job whereas before I didn't have the same approach.

The atmosphere was relaxed on some occasions but during the busier periods it would be quite intensive and corporate.

The work placement was well organised on the whole, however during the start at the end of my placement I found the quantity of tasks and processes in my possession where not at the level which I would have liked due to having come into a new role and a transformation within the business respectively.

Various mandatory workshops were offered to ourselves from which we had to select a set number we were interested in attending. These varied from improving your personal brand in the digital age to being able to present effectively in front of an audience. For my actual work within Finance I was, at the start of my placement, given crash courses and education sessions alongside other interns to understand how exactly the finance systems worked and the accounting rules and regulations we worked alongside.

The company offers a variety of graduate schemes, however finance and accounting are not currently areas recruiting graduates.

Due to the volume of interns present at IBM my location alone had around 40 who interacted with each other on a regular places and went out together.

Cost of living was standard for what you would expect in the South of England however some individuals from other parts of the country may well find it much more expensive living and socialising here.

The nightlife was decent and made more enjoyable owing to the volume of interns working alongside yourself that you could go out with however as for the venues themselves, they could be a lot better.

IBM offers all employees within Foundation, Interns, Apprentice and Graduate, and opportunity to take part in 'GiveBack' volunteering events which can range from conducting mock interviews to running workshops for school children. Taking part in GiveBack is something that is actively encouraged by your professional development manager.