Citi Quest Spring Intern - IBD (Corporate Broking) Review

Thoroughly enjoyable week within which I felt I achieved a lot and was given the opportunity to really show myself.

Highly! After a few teething issues at the beginning of the week I fully settled in - my team were very welcoming despite obvious work pressures and within a surprisingly small amount of time I was able to engage with them as co-workers rather than strictly my seniors who I was tagging along with for the week! What is interesting is that even though there is a very set hierarchical within Citi (as most similar firms) most sit at equal desks in open-plan offices, from PAs to analysts to directors (while MDs have closed offices to be used as necessary). This clearly engenders a very friendly atmosphere despite the pressures an IBD workplace engenders, and it was conducive to my feeling involved too. What do I mean by 'teething issues'? Basically at the beginning of the week it was surprisingly quiet on the work front (almost unheard of in IBD, clearly) as a result of a recent slew of deals leaving things a little lacklustre. This was an unfortunate start to this week which I was beginning! As a result I found myself asking for work more than I would have liked, but this quickly changed both as work came in and also they got to know me and my work ethic better. Clearly, the more time you spend with people the more they know about you and (hopefully) the more they can trust you - this was definitely the case. I built up genuine friendships with the younger guys on my team who I spent the most time with - we had lunch/coffee together a couple of times and they even managed to get away from the office to join us at our networking drinks. These are the guys who not only give you the work for the week but also end up writing the bulk of your feedback, and though I would certainly stress that I wasn't making friends as a means to an end (they were genuinely great to be around) it can't hurt either!

Don't take this 8/10 as a negative - I thin the right level between guidance and autonomy/scope to learn was perfect. For example, I had to produce some fairly complicated Investor Targeting datasets and graphs which I learned most of the skills myself from using another example and going online. As such, I could have a decent conversation about what I was doing without asking a million questions about the nuts and bolts! In this kind of environment there is no time really to ask every step of the way, and I personally loved the degree of autonomy I had to get a task done in the way I deemed best and then present it to the analyst or other employee that I was carrying it out for. This gives you the opportunity to show some kind of innovation if you're lucky, which really stands out!

Very much so - many transferable skills and general increased proficiency. Additionally, some of the skills I had picked up myself alongside my degree (e.g: reading market updates/the FT regularly) proved incredibly useful as I was writing Market Updates for some of the clients. This sort of stuff isn't really 'taught' per se so getting to grips with the writing style and understanding the desired end product is very useful!

Excellently - clear timetable, limited waiting around, good balance of work time and a couple of socials (work is more important and I enjoyed it more, but the break was welcome). Again, at the beginning of the week my actual tasks were few and far between but this was just misfortune. Consider that each individual department (mine was Corporate Broking) sets the work themselves so you just cannot know what to expect!

Positive, constructive and enjoyable. Not much more to ask for. Even the interview was actually just like a structured conversation.

Limited time specifically dedicated to me, but then my analysts did go beyond the call of duty and I was very grateful to them for that. I think this was also partly down to my own willingness to learn. Also, I was pleasantly surprised when the managing director on my team out of the blue invited me to a conference call with a high level client (I was silent!) given that the MD had no specific need to and hadn't really had a lot to do with me all week, but this was a great gesture.

Extremely well - you're with the guys during their general working hours! I didn't *quite* work their hours. I was in the office generally from half 7 until 6/7/8pm whereas they would be there until 10 or so (sometimes later) but you certainly get a flavour. You see how their days pan out, how the structure changes, how employee interactions work, which cafes are 'cool', when is the right time to have a break etc. etc. - unparalled insight.

Extremely well (as above)

Well, I will be - as I write this (a month and a half later) Having done Citi Scope last year I know they will pay, but it has taken a little while!

Very much so, excellent evening events both with 'speed networking' (think speed dating!) and more informal drinks etc.

As above. Informal drinks a little awkward at the beginning but that was probably our fault!

Not specifically so, but then I guess you can get involved with whatever you like? It's in London! Does much more need to be said?

Absolutely. Hugely useful and enjoyable experience. I put in a huge amount of effort and that was rewarded by good relationships and good feedback, along with having actually enjoyed my week. It's as meritocratic as most perceive banking to be - if you show willingness and intelligence you do well!