Women's Immersion Program Spring Intern Review

The insight gave a fantastic insight into Investment Banking in general. I really enjoyed being able to work on a desk and get to know my team. I felt like I have learnt a lot more about the team I worked with but I have also had more than enough opportunities to go and network with people in different areas of the business and understand more about what they do.

The friendly culture of Nomura has been very welcoming. I feel like people have really valued interns reaching out to them, wanting to know more about what they do. Everyone I contacted has been super happy to chat to me and has valued me asking them questions and wanting to learn.

The mentor, manager and buddy system in place was fantastic. From Day 1 I always felt like I could go to my buddy for help and guidance. My manger has also been interested in what I was doing and how I was getting along. My mentor has been very happy to meet up despite his busy schedule and has given me some really great advice.

For my degree studies, this has not been so useful. But for later on in my career, I have learnt important networking skills and presentation skills to, especially in terms of what is expected when pitching to a client. The information about the different areas within IBD will be fantastically useful for informing my career choices in the future. Being at Nomura has also helped me rule out what I do not want to do.

Generally well structured - e.g. the Stock Pitch Idol before the Global Markets Case Study, which prepared us for how to make a sales pitch to a client. Although it was a bit odd to have a Program Introduction at the end of the first day - but perhaps this was more a function of timetabling restraints as other programs were running alongside my program.

Generally very friendly atmosphere in the whole bank but my team especially had a really great attitude - fairly relaxed and fun during the busy working day. The people I met were all really lovely and the 'flat' structure of the business was definitely evident, but more so especially where I was sat in the business. A positive atmosphere for a two week insight.

We did have various skills session throughout the week but the fact that it is a 2 week insight restricts how much training was given to us/ needed to be given to us. But I have really been able to develop my networking off the back of the introduction to the importance of networking at the beginning of our internship. However, my buddy spent a lot of time explaining the basics of his business area to me and was always happy to answer any questions I had.

In my team, I have been able to get a better understanding of what the analyst, associate and MD do. I have closely shadowed my analyst and he has taught me about his area of the business in general but also what he does on a day-to-day business. Associates and MDs I have chatted to have given me their side of the work too. I have also had a honest and clear insight into the hours that different departments within IBD will do and how it feels to work in the different roles.

Nomura prides themselves on their friend and 'flat' culture. This is definitely true. In general all the people (analysts, associates, MDs) I have met have been very friendly and up for a quick chat to explain their work to me and answer my questions. The 'flat' structure is true for my team particularly but I understand that it is a bit different in M&A for example. I have also been able to understand that there is a definite different culture with all the teams within Nomura.

Fantastically valuable since it helped me gain an insight into what I would be doing every working day of my life. It has helped me really understand the difference between working in M&A, ECM and DCM etc. on a daily basis, which is a major consideration for me in terms of going forward with my career.

But not reimbursed for accommodation.

There were networking events set up for us. Personally I found these less useful since I was not really meeting the people I really wanted to meet but they were good nonetheless. However, I was introduced to my buddy's contacts and my mentor's contacts. They always had someone to refer me to when I asked if they knew someone if a particular part of the business. There was lots of scope for interns to be pro-active and create networking opportunities/ shadowing opportunities.

Again, the networking/social events set up for us were nice but I did not always meet people in areas of the business I particularly wanted to talk to. It was useful to have the events in place but I feel that being able to seek out a contact and arrange to meet up was much more useful than the general events.

We received a booklet about volunteering opportunities at Nomura but we did not have a formal presentation on it. This would have been really nice actually, or just a presentation about the other activities that Nomura employees could get involved in.

Definitely. The Women's Immersion Program offers young women the opportunity to get a real feel for working in investment banking in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Compared to other insight weeks you could do, you get proper time on a desk and fantastic opportunities to learn about different business areas. There is huge scope to get the most out of this great insight in terms of meeting more people and learning about their work. Personally, I have met some great people, with whom I will definitely keep in contact. This all feeds into informing your future career choices.