Henry

Programme: RWEST Commercial Graduate Programme

Location of current rotation: Essen

I already knew that I wanted to work in commodities trading during my degree in theoretical physics at Birmingham University. My work experience included several months at a mechanical engineering company that develops drives for electric cars and an au-pair assignment in France.

The RWEST Commercial Graduate Programme was particularly interesting for me because it offered the opportunity to freely select where I could work. A real plus point was the idea that I could test out which business areas I would enjoy and like the most. At the same time, I would learn how the different teams work together and operate. I got to know a lot of employees at the assessment centre, which made the decision to go with RWEST easy for me.

All graduates receive the same training during the first week – both technical skills and soft skills are fostered. It’s a great opportunity to get to know the other graduates as well as new colleagues. My first rotation was in Business Engineering in Swindon, where I gained an overview of the department’s work. I am now in my second rotation and work in the Trading Risk Controlling department in Essen, Germany.

Real responsibility

As a graduate, you are given responsibility for the topic straight away and are treated as a full team member from day one. If you want to take on even more responsibility in a certain area, your colleagues will be happy to help you find topics and tasks. I spent a lot of time developing new tools or optimising existing ones. I’ve designed a new tool that’s used for customising the weekly reviews and it’s really great to see the team still using it.

Part of the team

My team consists of true specialists and I instantly felt right at home. They give me tasks that I find really exciting and are grateful for new ideas and potential solutions. We have also had several team events outside of work. This made me feel as though I was a direct part of the team and well and truly integrated.

I think it’s unusual in this industry for there to be such a good atmosphere in the office. My colleagues take their time for me and are open to any questions.

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