Leavey Ambassadors Program Blogs

As the quarter comes to an end, I have been able to reflect on what has definitely been the best four months of my life. Studying abroad in London has allowed me the opportunity to explore different cities across Europe, meet other students from around the globe, and understand the complexities of British culture. My daily routine has been anything but structured, as London is a city with endless things to do.

While in London, I have fortunately had the opportunity to intern and work three days a week in the city. While I spend my Mondays and Tuesdays in the classroom, during the second half of the week I join the other millions of commuters and travel across central London on the underground. I have been a part of the finance and operations team at a company known as Pedals Delivery. Pedals is a London based courier platform that focuses on parcel delivery for ecommerce companies. They specialize in next-day and same-day deliveries, as the Royal Mail still struggles to complete these orders. Additionally, Pedals focuses on sustainability is committed to staying 100% eco-friendly as all deliveries utilize electric vehicles or bicycles. Through one platform, Pedals is able to help combat heavy traffic congestion in London and reduce carbon emissions.

During my eight weeks at Pedals Delivery, I have been able to gain great first-hand experience when it comes to corporate finance roles. My daily tasks include analyzing current accounts and making projections for revenue in the coming year. It has been an exciting time at Pedals, as the start-up has tripled its revenue this year and hopes to do the same in 2020.

I have also noticed subtle differences in British work culture when comparing it with the United States. For the most part, Brits tend to clearly define the line between work and relaxation. We have also discussed the idea of the “busyness factor,” or the need to feel consumed by your work at all times. While I’ve noticed the busyness factor to be very apparent at home, I have found that the British workplace is much more relaxed. Our mornings are dominated by small talk and tea, rather than immediately jumping into excel. I have also found that our lunch hour is sacred. Each day, my coworkers and I have made sure to spend at least forty-five minutes to an hour on break. The British value of minimizing stress in the workplace has become very important to me and will definitely be something I bring back with me.