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Discover Financial Services

BT Summer Intern Review

at Discover Financial Services

Internship (1 Month+)

Computer Science

Farnborough

Review Submitted: August 2022

Overall Rating

4.8 /5

The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!

3/5 - Overview of Role
5/5 - Skills Development
5/5 - Support and Guidance
4.8/5 - Company Culture
5/5 - Overall Experience
5/5 - Future Career Prospects

Overview of Role

Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis.
I worked on various projects as a fully-integrated team member where I got to work with new technologies like OpenShift, React js, and Spring Boot. My day-to-day included attending team stand-ups, attending information sessions, or having coffee chats with people around the office. The vast majority of my time was spent either focusing on my own work or pair-programming.
Were you given much responsibility during your placement / internship?
Although I was understandably not given any work that was urgent or highly impactful when it comes to the business as a whole, I still got to work on projects that had real business value, just at a smaller scale (useful to the area and the teams I worked in).
Please rate how meaningful the work you were doing was
3/5

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills, or developed your existing skills?
I have learned so many new technical skills including Javascript, React js, OpenShift, Jenkins, and many more. I also had a chance to improve my fundamentals in technologies I was already familiar with like Java and Github, and learned how these are used in industry. I also developed my soft skills thanks to simply being around the office and learning about work culture, but also thanks to certain workshops and meetings with higher-ups.
How would you rate the training provided during your experience?
5/5
How would you rate your development of industry-specific skills during the experience?
5/5
How would you rate your development of personal / soft skills during the experience?
5/5
Please rate how these skills have helped you in your career development
5/5

Support and Guidance

How much support and guidance did you receive during your placement / internship?
Both my internship program manager and my line manager were always available to answer questions. Managers/directors from other areas also came to check up on us frequently and provided valuable feedback and guidance around soft skills and how the company is structured for example. The first half of the internship was packed with intern information sessions and meetings with higher-ups, which were extremely valuable in terms of acting as guidance.
How would you rate the support and guidance from your line manager?
5/5
How would you rate the support and guidance from the wider team?
5/5

Company Culture

What was the company culture and general atmosphere like?
Amazing culture. People are friendly and open to conversation and providing help where possible. Work gets taken seriously but the environment was relaxed enough to make me feel comfortable and included. A lot of respect for work-life balance as well which was great to see.
How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?
5/5
How would you rate the social opportunities?
4/5
How would you rate the diversity initiatives?
5/5
How would you rate the charity, sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives?
5/5

Overall Experience

To what extent did you enjoy your placement / internship?
I had so much fun but also learned so much over just 9 weeks. I would do this again without a second thought. I would rate the experience a 10/10 for the people and the learning experience.
Please rate your level of enjoyment on your placement / internship
5/5
Please rate how your experience met your expectations
5/5

Future Career Prospects

Please rate the future employment prospects at Discover Financial Services
5/5

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend Discover Financial Services to a friend?
Yes
What advice would you give to others applying to Discover Financial Services
Technical ability is important, but can be easily improved on arrival. Your personality and soft skills are what can set you apart here, and the company clearly values that highly so bring your best self to the interviews and don't be surprised if they turn into a friendly conversation towards the end.
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