30 September 2021
As well as gaining insight into a particular sector, Sixth Formers Lilly and Sasha gained valuable transferrable skills and experience of working life during summer internships with Hachette and JP Morgan Chase.
Sasha, Upper Sixth
This summer, I was lucky enough to be offered an internship at the illustrious French publishing house Hachette, which was an eye-opening experience for me in many respects. Firstly, I was able to immerse myself completely in French culture and language as I was staying in the heart of Paris. Everything from the food to the architecture was fascinating and highlighted the peaceful beauty of the city. Because the office I was working at only publishes francophone literature, I was constantly challenged linguistically, being surrounded by the French language. Secondly, observing how an office operates was exciting as I had never been in a professional work environment before.
During my internship, I was able to study the various facets and intricacies that contribute to the making and publishing of a novel - from managing to marketing, there is so much incredible work that typically goes unseen. Working mainly with the editors in the children’s section, I was especially involved in graphic design and formatting, which I completely engrossed myself in and learnt greatly from. Attending hour-long meetings and waking up at 7:00 was not entirely what I had in mind when thinking about my last summer holiday, but my first work experience was incredibly awe-inspiring, and I will cherish and look back on it with fondness for years to come.
Lilly, Upper Sixth
In August, I took part in the Thinking Ahead Work Experience Program with JP Morgan Chase, following a selective application process, with more than 200 Year 13 applicants for only 40 places.
The company’s internship team put together a project called “Technology and Banking” for us to work on in groups of four. Our task was to create a financial services industry 25 years in the future and present it to senior board members from the London office.
My group created a credit card company called ‘Moneco’ – a combination of the words ‘money’ and ‘eco’. Our main selling point was a partnership with Tree-Nation, an existing organisation with a mission to reforest the world. Every time one of Moneco’s customers spent £100 using our credit card, the company would plant a tree. I was in charge of the money and financing section and tasked with calculating our cash amount at the end of year one, which was £3.3 million.
At the end of the week, we had eight minutes to present to the senior board members and four minutes of questioning. Their questions ranged from the ethics behind our company to how we got the figures in the statistics and one never really knew what to expect. My group was placed in the top five of 17 teams.
I would give this experience 10 out of 10 as it was so insightful and gave me interview practise and improved my presentation skills. I would highly recommend applying for every work experience or summer school programme possible as it is incredibly helpful in everyday life, not only building confidence but also knowledge on a range of different topics.