Research Assistant Review

I am a Research Assistant in the Data and Statistics Division. Day to day I partake in the "monthly round" where I prepare checking files for Analysts and also contact banks about their submitted reports. On top of this, I plausibility check the submitted forms for a selection of the banks. This means I regularly communicate with people externally to my organisation.

A lot of training is on offer to us, and I have gone to different Excel Training courses for free. I have also developed my knowledge of R coding (having never used it before I joined). I have improved upon my problem solving skills and am now more confident in facing difficult decisions and know how to put my opinion across successfully.

I love my team, and the flexibility of where I can work however the overall programme is not fantastic. The pay is minimal, less than other school leaver programmes, and this does have an impact upon what you can do outside of work. I had little expectations about this when I joined, however I would have to comment on how unorganised things are. If you want something done you do have to chase up on it. You also have to get something confirmed/promised in writing if you ever want it to happen, spoken word is not enough - this might be the case anywhere.

People say they value your work however there is a big blame culture and progression can be hindered easily by others. I get given a lot of work that people higher up than me cannot be bothered to do, or that they are unable to do even though they earn more than me. There is little internal recognition unless something has gone wrong - in which case people are quick to pass the blame onto you and to identify it was your fault.

Terribly organised! We had a two day induction which was not relevant to anything we do now. I had no clue about what I would be doing at work, what time to come in or even what I should wear. In my team I was given a lot of support but was left to do it all by myself and only given this support when I asked on multiple occasions. In terms of actual workload, I also have very minimal work and have to go out and actually find tasks to do myself as they will not necessarily be given to me.

We don't have an external training provider on my aspect of the scheme. We have done online courses which are awful - they revolve around you watching a video and then completing a quiz. There is no hands on teaching for this meaning that you cannot ask any questions.

My manager is happy to let me delegate my own time towards my own pieces of work, letting me complete my apprenticeship work when I am able to. He is happy for me to sign up to courses offered by the Bank as well. There is minimal feedback, with it only given when asked, however I am not often told how to make improvements and am only told I'm performing well. This leaves minimal room for development.

It costs me £4000 to commute up to London, which is much cheaper than renting here. After paying for the train I am left with a reasonable amount of money however the cost of living in London is higher than at home - this means you can easily spend £100 on a night out, and that is a huge dent in the pay. Lunch is also expensive - at first we would go out for lunch daily but now I cannot afford to spend £30 a week on food, as well as to go out and then save money for other things.

There is a gym at work which I go to in my lunch times or after work. There are opportunities to volunteer outside and inside of your working hours too. A lot of time is taken up commuting, and to have a life outside of this you have to be prepared to do things late in the evenings and all the time at the weekends.

Yes

The work-life balance is unbelievable. The flexibility of my team and the working hours I do are encouraged. I am able to take half days in "flexi time" without having to use my general leave.

Don't necessarily believe everything that you are told - if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. Be realistic with what you aim to do and what you aim to spend your money on, as you'll soon realise that the salary is so small that you have to budget very carefully. Be yourself in the interviews - they do actually put you into teams where you are best fit and they do make sure you're in an area with people you'll get on with.