Finance Apprentice Review

I am a finance apprentice at M&G Investments and work within the income team. Day to day my role encompasses responding to emails, raising 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; collaborating with the consolidations team 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 my personal time at M&G I have learnt a lot about the investment management industry and have developed my computer skills. I have also learnt so much about finance and accounting which has helped me in my day to day role as well as for my apprenticeship qualification. 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.

Over the past year I have really enjoyed the programme. There are quite a lot of apprentices from different departments and so getting to know them has been 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 as it enables me to be constantly stimulated throughout the day which makes my days go faster. 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.

With my training provider we are assigned a Talent Coach who is there to provide you with support and guidance throughout your apprenticeship. Unfortunately I am onto my 3rd Mentor which isn't ideal, but for the most part there should be someone on hand to provide support.

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 regular 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 ways to volunteer at M&G if you are interested and there are a variety of Networks that you can be a part of. 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

Coming from school I would definitely recommend M&G as they really do welcome you and offer you a lot of support. It is a great company with a wonderful culture and a lot of opportunity to learn and progress.

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!