Technology Analyst Review

The internship was largely extremely enjoyable and a very valuable experience for me. Every day I looked forward to coming into work.

Throughout my placement I was given real, business critical work. My colleagues put a lot of trust in me: I was treated by my team like a full-time associate. I had frequent calls with traders all around the globe, and I played a significant part in these discussions. My team treated me like the subject matter expert on the systems I was developing - which was really nice.

My manager, my buddy and my mentor were all extremely helpful. If I had any issues with work then people would stop what they were doing to come and assist. My mentor provided me with candid advice on questions I didn't want to ask my manager. At my side, I had a business analyst ready to guide me with anything I needed help with at a moment's notice.

I had expectations of working very long hours at the Bank but these simply were not realised. Almost every day I stuck to my contracted hours of 9-5, and since I got lots of work done, this was absolutely fine. During the 9-5 period I was very busy, but this was a byproduct of having lots of important work to do.

I was (positively) overwhelmed by how much responsibility I was given. From day one, I was working on a real project with a real deadline. I worked very closely with the rest of the team, and my input was very much valued.

Having completed my internship I feel like a completely different person to when I first started. I've really developed professionally, and I've learned so many soft skills that I will carry with me for a long time. The training was largely really useful. In terms of hard technical skills, I've definitely learned some things, but many of these I've already covered in my degree, so I wasn't stretched as far as I could be.

Everybody in the office was very friendly, but the general atmosphere was often a bit dull. People tend to be very busy and stuck on the phone for long periods of time, making interaction and collaboration difficult.

Everything on the internship from the first interview day to the final review ran like clockwork, it was extremely well organised. There was never any confusion about what was happening before we joined, or during the placement itself. We were kept updated regularly by HR, and there were drop-in sessions we could attend if we had any queries.

We had lots of very useful training sessions, division-specific and general. It really felt like the company were investing in us and wanted us to stay. I also had lots of one-to-one training and the opportunity to visit different teams to learn about what they do.

The employment prospects are very positive. There is the possibility of coming back for another internship, or joining on the grad programme. It's slightly unclear what's going to happen to students who are not entering their final year.

The social scene wasn't terrible, but it was definitely disappointing - and it's a definite area of improvement for the company. Most of the social events are marketed as networking events - even the final internship party. It's difficult to organise events between interns due to company policy.

London is expensive but the Bank do help generously with living costs. Many of the social events were paid for, which is really nice. The Bank also organise accommodation which is very reasonably priced.

Canary Wharf is not known for its nightlife, but there are lots of nice places to eat and drink after work. I went out with both my team and also the other interns maybe once every two weeks or so.

There are many interest groups & networks who offer lots of activities (e.g. LGBT, Women's, Disabled networks) - these are great for full time associates but not so much for interns. There's also a big drive to get involved in volunteering. There are also lots of sports clubs, but if you don't like sport then there's not a whole lot else to join in with.