My financial services internship
I applied to the Financial Services Authority’s summer internship because, with no experience of the corporate world, I realised that I’d need something to make me stand out in the competition for finance graduate jobs. I also wanted to learn about financial services as a whole and to find out what area of work appealed to me.
The application process for the internship entailed an online form, telephone interview and assessment day. The assessment day was very thorough as it is the same screening system used for graduates. In my group, there were about four interns and eight graduates.
Taking on responsibility
At the beginning of the internship there were three days of induction, followed by another two days of training half way through the placement. We were each allocated to a team; mine was accounting and audit policy. I was given my own project to focus on and also helped the team with their work. I visited other departments as well so had a good opportunity to see who did what.
'I had my own projects to work on and visited other departments as well - a good opportunity to see who did what.'
The tasks that I did during the internship were similar to what would be allocated to a new graduate employee: I was responsible for analysing banks’ interim reports and additional disclosures. I was assessed on my project and a presentation I did at the end of the placement. We received presentation training, which covered topics such as how to target a presentation to suit your audience, and this was very helpful.
My progress
I feel pleased with my progress during the placement. It was essential to hit the ground running by picking up a lot of information on financial projects as I went along. In the third week I attended a high-level meeting in which I realised I understood everything that was being said. I felt able to make valid contributions to the team and the skills I have learned will provide a good foundation for my future career. I feel that the soft skills I’ve picked up will be particularly useful and I would not have gained these at university.
Bhavisha Gorecha graduated from Manchester University in 2009 with a BSc in maths with financial maths. She completed a ten-week summer placement with the Financial Services Authority (FSA).
