First Year Intern Review

A thoroughly enjoyable experience throughout, consistently engaging and dynamic, rarely a dull moment. The work I had been assigned was very interesting and engaging which had tangible and wide reaching impacts which made the whole experience feel worthwhile. On top of the assigned project, the flexibility was there to take advantage of widely available opportunities to learn about the bank within your team, directorate and the institution as a whole. Formal and informal networking and socialising opportunities with other employees and fellow interns were certainly possible. Coupled with the friendly, open ethos and working environment, it was a fantastic and outstanding experience to be a part of.

From day 1, I felt especially supported by an incredibly welcoming, friendly and open team, who went out of their way to organise meetings outlining their work within in the team, including me in a variety of regular internal and external meetings whilst also organising opportunities to visit external sites and departments. They also engaged with me on a informal basis, inviting me to lunches and coffee which made me feel a familiar and intrinsic part of the team. Most importantly, the project I was given was deemed as important and was due for imminent completion, furthering my place as a valued team member. Considering I was only part of the team for 6 weeks, by the end I felt settled, comfortable and a valued contributor who was regarded (as much as were possible as an intern) to the same degree as any another employee.

Supportive, proactive, approachable and friendly, my manager was excellent in providing me with meaningful work and opportunities to explore my team's role, orchestrating meetings with other departments and site visits. I felt as relaxed and confident as I could be as intern in speaking to both line and senior managers, who were welcoming and interested to speak to me as well as appearing to be willing and receptive to new ideas and suggestions.

The nature of my project meant that my project lasted throughout the 6 weeks, but was kept fresh and intriguing through additional responsibilities and additions to the task at hand. Through my inclusion in additional meetings and other opportunities, I was never left without anything interesting to do.

As a first year intern, I was very pleasantly surprised by the level of responsibility I was assigned. This is probably very project dependent, but I was given supervisory responsibility over 8 other colleagues and staff, briefing and managing them on the project I was helping undertake. I was made to feel like I had a key and intrinsic part to play in the delivery of the initiative, making the experience all the more enjoyable and rewarding.

From the start of the application process to the last day, the Internship as a whole was a incredible learning experience, with the Written Application, Video Interview, Analytical Test and Assessment Centre (Group Exercise & Face to Face Interview) being an invaluable experience for future recruitment programmes. The internship's benefit was profoundly positive, benefitting me both academically in terms of research skills, time management and the standard of work expected, but also beyond my studies in terms of networking and the experience that comes with engaging in a professional environment. In all, fantastic experience and a lucrative investment of your time and energy.

Friendly, relaxed, open, welcoming but still highly professional, the general feeling in the office was resoundingly positive with occasional chatter, coffee rounds and shared treats! The team I was assigned to had 16 members, and it was nice to not be relegated to a single desk, giving me the opportunity to meet and talk to each team member.

Overall, the internship was pretty well organised, with forms, bank communications distributed in a timely manner. During the internship, a comprehensive induction, IT training was carried out, alongside a few formal and informal socials and networking opportunities. I was however mildly disappointed with the lack of consideration of intern's accommodation, as I tried numerous times to contact the Bank regarding getting accommodation with other interns, to which I had no reply.

Much of the experience came from working in the department, developing many of the skills of working in the professional environment. However I received substantial insight into how my department worked, alongside a greater broad understanding of the Bank's operations as a whole. Through learning lunches, networking and primarily the variety of experience you receive whilst working, the Bank delivers well in this aspect.

Employment prospects appear to be fantastic, with a variety of choices available. Opportunities providing you are successful include an immediate offer on the Penultimate year internship scheme with the potential to be offered a graduate job thereafter or the option to be fast-tracked to the graduate programme assessment centre if you didn't want to work at the bank for the succeeding years. The graduate scheme is also in the process of being revised into a attractive 2 year programme, which also enables you to obtain a central banking diploma.

There was a pretty good social scene, although the large part of it was down to the Interns to establish. We established a messaging group and frequently went for lunch and coffees as well as outings after work. There were also fun but a limited number of Bank organised socials integrating first year interns, penultimate year interns and industrial placement students with free food and drink.

I commuted into Central London from Basingstoke, so National Rail and Underground fares were extortionate as they would be with any other internship (No expenses I'm afraid except for external site visits!). However, socialising was surprisingly cheap for central London depending on the place you chose; I got a craft lager in a very fancy Weatherspoons 5 minutes from the Bank for £2.50 (July 2015)!

Nightlife was really good, with ample bars, clubs and restaurants to go to after work. Keep in mind that the Bank itself organises limited socials, so we organised the vast majority of the occasions amongst ourselves. Socials were however good fun and were a great opportunity to chill out and get to know other interns.

Events organised by the Bank included a few socials, networking drinks and being invited to the employee fun day 'Governor's Day'. There was also a Gym with regular classes which did seem appealing. Finally there were opportunities to get involved in volunteering schemes, but given the length of the internship it was a bit unrealistic for us to get involved in these.