Summer in the City

People have asked, “Do you know what you want to do?” (Or something similar) more times than I can remember over the past few years. Often the default question posed to anyone of my age. It can feel daunting or embarrassing if the answer is consistently that you don’t know. For as long as I can remember, work experience has been encouraged as a way of exploring a potential career path and I have dipped my toe into different industries and businesses but have never felt ‘sold’ on the idea of pursuing any as a career.

This summer, I was lucky enough to be invited to LTN & Partners, a legal recruitment and consultancy company, to be involved in their summer intern programme. Admittedly, before I began, I wasn’t attracted to the legal industry (or recruitment) and had never considered following in the footsteps of my dad, who was a partner at Linklaters for 16 years. What I had not expected was just how much else I’d learn by embarking on an internship in the City.

Aside from learning what legal terms such as ‘leveraged finance’ and ‘non-contentious’ meant, the research work I took part in was thoroughly fascinating. Understanding the intricacies of an industry is no light feat and in my few short weeks, I felt I had just scratched the surface. Beyond the law itself, it was interesting to learn about the framework of a business and what inevitably drives work.

From a personal experience, which could arguably be more valuable to me, was learning and experiencing the operations of a City of London office. It was a whole new world to me: joining the chaotic morning commute, waiting patiently in the lunch queue at the likes of PRET, and trying to quickly return home during rush hour. From desk etiquette to post work drinks, there was a lot to pick up, but it felt exciting to be part of the ebb and flow of the environment.

Within LTN & Partners specifically, I was given invaluable pockets of knowledge by my colleagues for which I am incredibly grateful. My biggest take away being that people are at the centre of all we do. Essentially, whatever you chose to do, you’ve got to make sure the people you surround yourself with, are people you can trust and get along with. It’s the central pillar and without it, everything else will collapse. Being part of a corporate team for the first time gave me a profound sense of achievement and encouragement. I was unsure what would come from this internship, but it outdid any of my previous work experiences and has given me the fire to pursue a career of the same calibre.

Hopefully with any stroke of luck, I’ll be back in the City in an office full of equally talented and kind people as at LTN, who make the whole experience far more than a job.

Lily Freeman – https://tinyurl.com/vzjc9r7v