This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
The internship allowed for a good overview of one particular area of the bank. Where it lacked strength was in giving interns the opportunity to see a cross-section of the bank. For instance, not merely SME Commercial Banking, but also Mid Markets and Global Corporates.
My line manager, the RMs and everyone I worked with trusted me with doing work that adds value to the team and gave me a sense of responsibility when completing work.
As a first-time line manager, he gave me great flexibility in shaping my internship in a way that would be of most benefit to me. It was a joint effort to organise opportunities for me to see other areas of the bank with both myself and my line manager speaking to individuals across the bank.
There were days when we were working against deadlines and I was able to make consistent contributions to tasks, while on other days there were moment when I had very little to do. It would have been useful to have a project (that was not the Charity project) to go back to whenever there was not much work in the team.
Once my colleagues established a sense of trust in my ability to complete work to a high standard, they very readily gave me more responsibility and more complex tasks.
The most important skills I gained/developed were team working and an understanding of dealing with clients, which would definitely be useful in my degree.
The Company
Everyone was really helpful across all the teams I worked in and helped each other as well as myself. The atmosphere was definitely more relaxed than I expected, but everyone was also completing their work while maintaining a friendly relationship with everyone in the office.
I think the organisation of the placement had its downfalls. Unless one was placed in the main London office, there was very little opportunity to meet with other interns beyond the initial induction event.
There was not much official training other than the completion of the Q1 to 3 in the first week which added little insight. The biggest investment came from the individuals I worked with who were keen to create an environment and give me work which would make me feel like I add value and which would allow me to see the different skills and tasks done by those in the bank.
My aim was not to get onto the Grad Scheme.
The Culture
Beyond the induction week, I don't believe many interns outside the central Gresham Street office organised to meet up.
Already lived in the area I worked in, therefore there was no change to costs
As a result of already being based in London, I continued with the same nightlife as previously.
My office organised a day out with the team outside of work, which allowed me to get to know the team members better.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
Commercial Banking, Legal/Law
London
August 2015