Finance Apprentice Review

I am a finance apprentice at M&G Investments. Day to day my role encompasses responding to emails, raising recharge invoices, preparing schedules and journals and attending meetings. One of my main responsibilities is to complete the Intercompany Reconciliations between M&G and the other counterparties under the Prudential Group that we make transactions with. As a result my daily interactions involve communicating with the counterparties to agree balances; requesting cost accountants to make accruals as well as interacting with all the members of my team.

As part of the apprenticeship programme I am working to complete my ACA qualification. M&G provide a lot of support during my training and as a company these offer a variety of in-house training for all employees to develop their skills. Throughout ,y personal time at M&G I have learnt a lot about the investment management industry and have developed my computer skills a lot. As well as this I feel that my communication skills have vastly improved due to the many different interactions that I have had to face throughout my time here. I feel that it is because of M&G's

So far I am really enjoying the programme. There are quite a lot of apprentices from different departments and so getting to know them was great and enabled me to learn more about the other areas within the company. My team were extremely welcoming from the start and I feel that I fit in well. The work can be challenging and there is a lot to learn - this is good for me as I am constantly stimulated throughout the day. The culture as a whole promotes a healthy work-life balance which is perfect for me as it enables me to continue with my sports outside of work. Overall I am really enjoying M&G and it has surpassed my expectations.

I definitely feel valued at M&G. I feel that I am given a good amount of responsibility and varied tasks to complete. This makes me feel as though I am fully contributing to the team and doing something worthwhile. I often get feedback on what I am doing which highlights that they are taking notice of what I do and I am getting recognition for it.

The programme is well organised so that you are eased in and feel comfortable from the start. There is a good structure so that everyone is clear what their objectives are.

My training provider is very positive and enthusiastic. He is generally available to email or call if I have any questions and so overall I feel supported.

I receive a lot of support - my manager and I have weekly catch-ups and she is always on hand to ask questions and give advice. The HR team also arrange catch-ups to make sure that we aren't having any issues. The general culture is very supportive at M&G which is why I feel I am comfortable asking questions and getting the most out of my experience.

For an apprenticeship I feel that M&G offers a very competitive salary

There are lots of way to volunteer at M&G if you are interested. I personally do not take full advantage as I am a member of sports clubs outside work. However, there are regularly social nights which I really enjoy attending.

Yes

The work is interesting and the people are friendly and welcoming.

The application process consisted of online testing followed by 3 interviews which was quite intense. My advice would be to learn about the role you're applying to and research M&G and its industry. Be confident and talk about yourself and your experiences and the skills you have gained from them; explain how these skills would be transferable in the workplace. Good Luck!