Finance Undergraduate (Placement Year) Review

- Overseeing & actioning inter-company trading practices.
- Completing Financial operations for multi-national contracts.
- Overseeing FX rate applications and currency conversions on international projects.
- Processing invoices and maintaining credit/debit ledgers.
- Conducting cash flow and revenue forecasting.
- Completing month-end reconciliations
- Navigating stakeholder, client and supplier challenges

Yes

Yes
- Excel
- SAP/BW Business Warehousing systems

Overall, I received a good level of support and guidance throughout my placement, particularly from the wider team. My colleagues were approachable, patient, and always willing to help when I had questions or needed clarification. However, I found that my immediate managers were sometimes less accommodating, as they appeared to have limited patience when I took longer to adapt to new processes or systems. While this occasionally made it challenging to seek guidance directly from them, the broader team’s support ensured I was still able to learn effectively and build confidence in my role.

The overall company culture was very positive, with a strong emphasis on collaboration, innovation, and professional development. However, the culture within my immediate team felt quite different. While some colleagues were supportive, the atmosphere was often tense due to the management style of my second manager, who was rarely accommodating and could be quite unpleasant at times. This created a challenging environment within the team, which didn’t always reflect the wider company’s values or culture.

I genuinely enjoyed my placement when working with other members of the team and with my first manager, who was approachable and supportive. Those experiences allowed me to learn a lot, develop my skills, and gain valuable insight into the company’s operations.
However, my experience under my second manager was considerably less positive. There were several instances of unprofessional behavior and inconsistent management practices that affected my overall enjoyment and engagement. These included being encouraged to use annual leave as sick leave (on the 1 day I was sick right at the end of my internship), not being properly compensated for earned overtime, and facing criticism for minor issues despite his own lack of punctuality. Additionally, expectations were often set at an unrealistic level for an undergraduate intern, with excessive focus on minor details rather than the bigger picture, employing a 'worry about the pennies and forget about the pounds' attitude, which can be detrimental to the operation of a company's finance department.
After speaking with previous Early Careers employees, I learned that others had similar experiences under the same manager, which was disappointing. It made me question why new or less experienced staff were placed under his supervision. Despite these challenges, I still valued the exposure, learning opportunities, and professional growth the placement provided.

No