Having graduated from university last summer with a degree in geography, I set my sights on working in ESG in the finance industry, given my academic background and passion for the environment. I was searching for graduate positions when I came across financial PR and the Tavistock internship; a fantastic opportunity for getting into finance without necessarily having extensive knowledge of the sector.

From the get-go, it was quite apparent that the internship with Tavistock was going to differ from the usual stereotypes. After the standard formalities and admin on my first day, I was whisked off for a welcome lunch with the team, which quickly put me at ease. On my second day, I was straight in at the deep end with a client lunch, and this really set the precedent for what was to follow over the next three months.

From attending the London Mining Indaba, to the London Stock Exchange’s summer drinks, there have been plenty of opportunities for networking and learning from some veterans within the finance world. At the end of the working day, everyone spills out of offices and into the pubs and bars, and this certainly provided ample opportunity to get to know some of the office on a more personal level too.

Excursions aside, work in the office was far from just doing filing and people’s odd jobs. I have been fortunate enough to be involved in some fascinating projects, and working directly with clients to fulfil various tasks has been very rewarding. Joining as the ESG intern, I worked directly with Jade who is Tavistock’s head of ESG and a fountain of knowledge for all things ESG-related. This is certainly an opportunity few interns would be lucky enough to have, and I feel really fortunate to have been able to benefit from the team’s extensive knowledge.

I think one of the most special things about working at Tavistock is the balance between having a fun, informal atmosphere, whilst maintaining a high degree of professionalism – I’ve heard of very few places like it! For any aspiring interns, I cannot recommend this internship more highly as an introduction into the world of finance in London.

– Hugo Hurrell, Intern

If you have questions on the internship programme at Tavistock, please get in touch with Heather Armstrong at heather.armstrong@tavistock.co.uk