Intern Review

Really enjoyed the work that I was set. The project I was put on for the 10 weeks was incredibly interesting and I knew that the work I was conducting would have real impact within the organisation. The level of autonomy was very good, but combined with an excellent support network of Line managers, Graduate Buddies, and between the Interns.

Members of my team treated me on the same level as any other member of the organisation, both in terms of the responsibility I was given in my day-to-day work, but also in how the team interacted with me on a general level. This applied to the organisation as a whole when I was working outside my team.

My Line manager provided constant feedback and support throughout the 10 weeks, offering constructive criticism where appropriate but also encouraging me to take part in activities that would aid my self-development and career development goals.

Work varied from day-to-day. On some days the workload would be fairly high but manageable, and on others there was very little other than admin related work to conduct. This was more of a result of the project I was working on as opposed to a representaive experience of day-to-day work at the FCA. In general though, there were never days that were completely work free, or with excessive workloads.

I was given plenty of autonomy and responsibility over the course of the 10 weeks, with the opportunity to write briefings, make presentations and explore my own avenues of investigation to aid the project as a whole. The exposure to senior management was excellent, and the level of responsibility in communicating with such individuals on a regular basis was very well managed to the extent that I felt I benefited from the experience without being overwhelmed by it

In general I mainly utilised my pre-existing skillset within the office as opposed to gaining new ones. However, the major skill I gained from the experience was the improvement to my communication skills, which will no doubt be invaluable in my future career

The atmosphere was a really good balance of fun but professional. Everyone was very approachable and helpful, and the office always felt like a welcoming environment for someone just starting there. The support from people around you was also excellent. In general the FCA was a really relaxed environment to work in, but not to the detriment of the work being produced

While the project was incredibly interesting, it wasn't able to give me exposure to the organisation as a whole by itself. Interns had to go out of their way to organise work shadowing around the organisation and this was subject to the resourcing requirements of the team you were on. This causes some issues when trying to decide which division to apply to for the graduate scheme.

The FCA is excellent at investing and encouraging self development. Courses are always available to any member of the organisation, and the FCA academy is extremely impressive in terms of the amount of training on offer. Managers seem to be very open to encouraging and allowing employees to explore training and development programmes.

The FCA grad programme seems like an excellent starting point for someone's career, with plenty of self development opportunity and variety in the work on offer to allow you to find exactly where you are best placed to add value. Secondment opportunities in particular are fantastic, including international placements to the US and Europe.

There were very few events organised for the interns, with only a leaving drinks organised. Social scene within teams was excellent, with regular social events and afterwork activities organised and initiated ad hoc.

London prices - so fairly expensive relative to University but not too bad for within the city

Didn't spend much time experiencing the night life, but there doesn't seem to be much around Canary Wharf

A corporate social responsibility day was organised as part of the internship, but other than this there were'nt many outside work acivities that were advertised. The corporate social responsibility did do a good job of advertising the work they do, and encouraging individuals to get involved with either group work or individual volunteering.