Technology Intern Review

Overall, the internship was a great experience of a large scale company in the IT sector. Not only did the internship change my perceptions of IT in the Banking sector, it was a great learning experience and a fantastic environment to learn and develop new skills. A variety of events organised for the interns also made me feel valued, although some of the talks were mainly finance based and thus not entirely relevant to my role within the company.

Although I didn't have a lot of contact with much of my team as they were working on other projects, I was treated as a part of the team, and invited to attend several meetings both within the team and the wider department. Everyone always had time for me, and at the end of the project I was made to feel like the work I'd completed was truly worthwhile to the team moving forward. Other people in the office were also very friendly.

Both my manager and my colleagues always had time for any questions I had or any help I required with my work. When I joined my manager set aside plenty of time to introduce me to the project, and we had daily meetings for the majority of the internship to ensure I was on track and check the work I was doing. There was also a great culture where asking questions was encouraged, meaning that it was easy to get support when required.

I was given an individual project to work on, which meant I always had something to work on, as this required the full 10 week time of the internship. I was sometimes too busy, having to cope with the various intern events along with meeting my weekly targets, but personally I prefer this to not having enough to do throughout the week.

I was given my own individual project, which I was responsible for managing and completing. I was responsible for creating and testing what I had done, as well as documenting the work completed. I was given plenty of guidance on what needed to be completed and what needed to be achieved by the internship, but I was also given responsibility for completing the project myself and ensuring it worked and was finished in time.

The internship gave a great insight into what application development is like in a professional environment, rather than in a university environment where you often code things and never open then again! It also gave an experience of what it's like working in a large company, and the challenges this raises. I was also given the chance to see how skills I'd studied in university could be applied in the real world. The extent of usefulness for going back to university may be limited, but this experience is invaluable for anyone looking to find a career in industry after leaving university.

The general atmosphere of the office was very relaxed and laid back. Everyone works very hard and was always busy, but as an intern, I didn't feel a lot of pressure or like I was a problem for anyone. I felt like a valued member of the team, and people always had time for me, whether to help with my project or just for a quick chat. There's a very open atmosphere where you are always welcome to ask questions, especially as an intern! We were also encouraged to socialise outside of our teams, and people were always interested to hear what the interns were working on during their time in the company at networking events.

The application process was long and there were several frustrations during this, such as long wait times for interviews, lost paperwork and general confusion. However, once I actually started the internship, the organisation was much better. There was a range of events from conferences and networking events to the Corporate Responsibility day where the interns spent a day working in the local community on an allotment/community centre. There was also time left for you to be at your desk and actually completing the work you'd been assigned for the internship. Most of the events came within the first month or so of the internship and perhaps could have been a little more spread out, but overall it felt well organised within the workplace. Don't let the application process put you off!

My manager spent a lot of time with me ensuring I understood where our team fitted into the company as a whole, and how my project would assist the team in future. We also spent time going over any new technology I needed to learn, as well as discussing how my previous experience could be applied to the situation. For permanent employees, there are also a number of training programs and a development process that everyone takes part in, although most interns didn't see a lot of this.

Throughout the internship, it's made very clear that there are great opportunities for you if you succeed in your internship. The company is very keen to retain as many interns as possible, usually moving them into the Graduate scheme for the following year, but they were also willing to offer a further internship to anyone considering doing another 2 years of university (usually Masters students). The Graduate scheme is fully explained during the internship, and if you enjoy the internship and you are made an offer, it's a great opportunity to return to somewhere familiar for your first permanent job. Offers for the Graduate scheme are made on the last day of the internship, and the number of offers made for the interns in our office was very high.

In the Glasgow office there were over 60 interns, which meant that we didn't generally know each other as a group, whereas we were given the impression previous, smaller years knew each other much better. However, there was no problem with socialising with other interns, and several events were organised for anyone in the internship to attend. There were a lot of people in J.P. Morgan specifically from my uni, which meant we knew a lot of people already.

As I lived in the area already, I didn't need to move so don't have a lot of experience of this. Certain parts of Glasgow can be quite expensive, but the city is well used to having students due to the high number of universities and colleges in the area. There are plenty of student deals in bars and restaurants, and many halls or student flats go empty over the summer as the universities are empty, so there's good opportunity to find accommodation.

The office was located in the heart of Glasgow city, which meant that there were plenty of bars and clubs within no more than a 10 minute walk of the office. There's something for everyone, and if you're willing to go further afield, there's plenty of places to go.

There are a variety of social clubs and societies in the office, including Cricket, Basketball, Hillwalking and the Social Committee who arranged a theatre trip during my time in the office. Although these clubs were not exclusively for interns, everyone was more than happy for interns to come along and join in with the activities on offer. There was also a great social scene, and everyone was very friendly throughout.