
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
The Role
-
The Company
-
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 Î÷¹ÏÊÓÆµs/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
I enjoyed it most after the second half when I moved to a different desk
On my original desk, I didn't feel valued. They were friendly, but I didn't feel valued. When I moved desks however, I felt very valued and that each of my colleagues had time for me
I felt that my original manager didn't give much guidance and advice. The most guidance and support came from colleagues I had networked with. On my new desk, I have been given guidance and support and now have clarity about job prospects and my progress
I tended to keep myself busy, as my original team did not give me a project. They seemed to give all the other interns stuff to do, but not me. On my new desk, I have a lot to learn, so am really busy trying to read research and chatting to colleagues about it.
I didn't feel like I had been given much responsibility at all. Other than a morning email, which was all copy and paste I only really had responsibility for my own work
I don't think the skills will assist my degree so much. I feel I learnt more life and working skills
The Company
People were generally chatty and up for a laugh. On the desk previously, I felt a bit disengaged as I was put on a desk away from the centre of the team. This wouldn't have been so bad, but I was sat alone and nobody interacted with me, I had to go to them to interact with them. They also forgot to invite me to the daily meeting, so I felt my presence on the desk was a bit unwanted. Once I sat with other desks, I had a lot more fun and felt like people were making the effort to involve me. On my new desk, everyone is fun, so I feel I fit in.
We had events organised for us, but other than that, I felt the actual work and internship lacked direction. I even had a part in the middle where I didn't know what was happening. On my original desk, I didn't really have a project or anything to work for, I think it would have been better if we had an itinerary of what was expected to be achieved each week and any training we should undertake. I have to praise the flexibility and mobility during the internship, as I was allowed to move half way through.
The week long training at the start was really good to form a basis on the industry. The training could have been better tailored to skills we need for specific desks, like pitching. Other than that, we were always invited to teach-ins for the regular colleagues. I think it would have been useful to have a teach-in specifically for interns once per week, training us on skills specific for the desk and helping us build a toolkit for the desk. I feel the ongoing training and development should be better organised and monitored
Subsidised/Company Gym
Company Parties/Events
Now that I have found a place where I fit, I feel that the prospects are very appealing indeed. The company is really keen on mobility and flexibility, so I am confident I will never be bored or frustrated. I get the feeling that once a graduate, there is scope to move internally and upwards quite quickly. They are quite honest about whether we are on track to receiving a job with them too, which is also good. The only problem is, they are not transparent about headcount, which is not useful when trying to match supply and demand.
The Culture
Yes, especially among the interns. I made friends with a lot of the interns and even had a couple I did things at the weekend with. We were encouraged to mix with all interns. In terms of colleagues: some of them didn't really want to be at the pub with us, whereas others were really happy to chat to us, so it just depended on the colleague.
In London, it is really expensive. We are given a relocation bonus, but only received this once we started working. Considering most deposits and first month's rent have to be paid before arrival, this made it difficult to find an affordable, nice place to live. We are all Î÷¹ÏÊÓÆµs and not all of us have the means to be able to afford relocation to London. Personally, I had to save what was left on my Î÷¹ÏÊÓÆµ loan to find a place. Socialising was also expensive. Food and clothing was same as back at home.
In the area I worked, most bars shut at midnight. However, outside of Canary Wharf there is an amazing nightlife. I made friends with people who studied / lived in London, so they knew all of the nightlife places to go to. It was really fun to be able to go out with new friends. The only problem is the end of the night, as everyone lives far away from each other, so we ended up going home separately, which isn't exactly safe.
There were the odd one or two activities, like the mid internship bbq and the corporate social responsibility day. I feel like JPM should have done a little more to facilitate networking among the interns. We had networking events with senior people with the aim to meet people from other desks, but I think it would have been really good to have a fortnightly activity where we all just had coffee together, or an evening event, where all interns could maintain contact and build a network of friends
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
London
August 2015