Spring Intern Review

1. The explore programme was enjoyable and lasted four days. We had networking lunches, work shops and work shadowing. I enjoyed the work shadowing the most as the business reps at Nomura were eager to help out and explain different concepts. Senior speakers made time to be scheduled onto the programme as well.

2. The group project was quite abstract and it did not feel like the assessors were taking this part very seriously. We were not given the opportunity to start to learn about the technical aspects of the industry during our group work –so was focused more on soft skills rather than technical skills which I felt could be built on during university time rather than on a highly coveted spring week.

3. For the group-work we were left to work on our own in a room within the building. We were not assigned buddies and were expected to network throughout the firm in order to receive any support. But on the contrary had to work around the schedule we were given. The interns on the Explore programme were not allowed to shadow any IBD yet Women’s Immersion Interns were meaning they got more exposure –yet our application were the same.

4. The soft-skill sessions were useful beyond the spring week, but on the careers website it was indicated that we would receive “technical online training” which was not the case during the spring week. This was disappointing to hear as I was looking forward to gaining some skill on valuations, modelling etc.

5. The sessions tended to run into each other a lot which meant that this would eat into the next session making it shorter. The work shadowing lasted an hour over the course of 2 days and the each day was themed towards a particular division within the bank, this unfortunately meant that if you were sure that you were not interested in IBD then an entire day would feel wasted.

6. Quite relaxed –this is in comparison to the other spring weeks I participated in. This I feel was due to the fact that the group work was not technical. Also because we were told –on the first day- that we had to re-apply again for a Summer Internship after the end of the week, this left interns slightly discouraged and less pressured.

An external training company came in for the trading game which was based on probabilities. It gave us insight into ‘market-making’ and really shed light on the practicalities of the business. Since this was only an insight week there was not much chance to really invest in interns. Soft skills were developed through the week.

7. Explore Interns were not allowed on the IBD floor, and we spent all of our time locked away in a seminar/presentation room for a majority of the week. The work shadowing lasted an hour so did not give a full taste of what it is like to have a full time role at Nomura.

8. The week was insightful and we came across enough business reps to really understand the culture at the firm. There were no business reps at the social later on during the day, but we managed to meet them at the Lunch networking. If it was a full 5 days this would be better.

9. The speakers were inspiring and frequently highlighted that there were several things to think about before deciding on a career path. Whether your skill set matched up, preferred work-life balance etc. We were also given an overview of the type of work that occurs in Global Markets and given a chance to think about whether we did see ourselves doing this type of work.

10. It was quite shocking that we were not reimbursed any expenses –no weekly oyster fare/accommodation- and had to cater for this ourselves. Also the week involved waking up earlier than usual everyday as breakfast/tea was not provided so had to factor this in to the morning process. Students that came from Europe also had to pay for their own accommodation. Which was not the case for other banks.

11. There was a networking lunch on the first day, but it was difficult to find the business reps out of all the interns in the room. On the last day of the programme, we were escorted out of the building to the Nomura Bar downstairs and had to pay for our own food/drinks at this.

The first social was held close to Nomura and all the interns from all the programmes and a few members of HR attended. Food was great too, sliders and fries –well fed and what not. Networking was scheduled for the first day at a lunch, and there was opportunity to meet business reps during work shadowing within your division

I did not find out about activities that Nomura employees were involved in outside of work, and none of the business reps or HR mentioned that this was something we could potentially get involved in. Because of the nature of the group project, interns found out that there was a gym on-site.

12. At the beginning of the week we were told that we would have to re apply to be considered for a Summer Internship –yet on the careers website we were told that there was opportunity to be fast tracked for a Summer Internship with the firm. Other banks give Summer Internship offers post a successful spring week. So skeptical about a recommendation.