Apprentice Review

I am based in financial regulation working to make sure our operations run smoothly from start to finish from a reporting point of view. I manage projects to do this, write code to automate as much as possible and manage teams and people working in MO.

I have furthered my coding ability by a lot, am now comfortable managing people professionally and have learnt so much about the finance industry just from my day to day role.

The programme at JP Morgan itself is great. The team that coordinate us really have our backs, give us great opportunities and check in with us about all parts of life if we need to. The programme itself is really professional. Our roles are considered just as important as any other in the firm despite our 'apprenticeship' status and it's really hands on. The exam side is a bit trickier as the provider doesn't always communicate with us very well but the team handle this as soon as they're made aware.

By my actual reg team and manager I feel really valued. He catches up with me every two weeks and always starts with positives about my work and how valuable I am to the team. He shows this as well by giving me great exposure and tougher and bigger projects all the time. The early careers team also really value us as we bring a solid reputation in the London office as the first cohort, we help at events and we genuinely enjoy what we do. They always are really grateful for what we do as 'extras' even though really it's just our job.

The 4 days of work a week is as structured as a financial ops job can be. Hours aren't fixed and neither are routines but the main organisation/structure of roles and responsibilities is on point. The lectures aren't as well organised and for the recent module we've had some difficulty but as always the JP Morgan team have sorted this as soon as possible and made us aware of what's going on.

Not much from BPP as they're external and only really have an impact on lecture day. Their communication is poor too. However when we request help with our modules they always get back to us and provide us with revision help which is great.

JP Morgan are really supportive. They check up on you enough to ensure you're okay but not too much so you still feel like a professional. It's a great balance of support and confidence in us as individuals.

I chose to live in central London so any salary is tough to meet costs but this covers rent and social stuff pretty well. I'm aware that compared to other similar schemes it's a really good salary but it's just very expensive in London for anyone living away from home on these schemes.

Loads; I play netball with JP Morgan every week and from that have met some really good friends. There is also a really good social vibe at this firm where drinks and team socials are very much encouraged. They also organise charity events to attend and mentoring that provide a bit of a break from the weekly slog.

Yes

As much as nothing is perfect, this apprenticeship has everything I would look for. I feel very supported, very valued and, as a result, even more confident. The people are lovely, the office is sociable and the work is tough but rewarding.

Relax in your interviews, be yourself and throw yourself into as much as possible if you're successful. It really helps you actually want to come to work in the morning.