Investment Banking-Summer Analyst Review

I really enjoyed my placement. I learned about my role and other departments thanks to my colleagues and was given lots of responsibility from the very start.

I felt highly valued by my colleagues since I was given many key roles that other team members depended on.

Training and support was of a high level from the outset. I was made to feel comfortable to be able to ask any questions that I had. I was able to go to my manager and express my concerns, queries and improvements freely. My manager guided me through technical tasks to ensure that I understood the process before being left to my own devices.

My role was busy by nature, as attention to detail was necessary in every task. Although the rest of my team were also busy, this didn't stop them from helping me with queries or situations that I had not come across before. Equally, there was a very good team ethic so that if one member of the team was particularly busy, others would help to share the workload.

I was given lots of responsibility from an early stage of my placement and treated like a full-time employee. Other team members relied on my work and contribution on a daily basis and I was responsible for key tasks on a daily basis, which enhanced my learning experience.

I have been able to use my technical knowledge gained on placement in my degree studies as well as the analysis technique used in my role on placement. Further to this, I have been able to apply the other skills that I developed on placement during my degree studies, such as communication and presentation skills.

The general atmosphere was extremely welcoming and friendly. Although many of the team were time-pressured and busy, we all helped each other and maintained a good atmosphere in the office thanks to the good team ethic.

The overall work placement set-up was well organised with general training with other placement students in the first few weeks as well as presentations from different departments across the company in the following weeks. There were also organised events for placements which helped integrate everyone into the company and their respective teams.

The firm invested large amounts in terms of training and development. Initially there was a weeks worth of training and presentations to increase my awareness and understanding of the role that I was going into. There was also specific-role training when I first me my team and colleagues, which developed to on-the-job training, where I could ask for help or explanation. I also went on specific training days with full-time employees, which were paid for by the company and an experience that I found very valuable.

Future employment prospects are extremely appealing given the enjoyable and eye-opening year on placement.

There was a great social scene with other placement students and colleagues. We would frequently have lunch together and socialize after work.

Given that I was working in London, the cost of living and socializing was high but this was to be expected.

The nightlife in the area where I worked was really good and the group of placement students frequently socialized after work.

There were many clubs and societies to get involved in outside of work. The company also promotes giving-back to society, so there was an organised charity event that the placement students were involved in, which was great fun.