This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Really great place, great people, surprisingly large amount of responsibility.
Yes- lots of responsibility. Got involved in real tasks not just grunt work.
Allocated a buddy who was very open and happy to answer any questions I had. Also a lot of younger guys on my first desk- Product Control - all willing to offer guidance. Very open structure, non-hierarchical (different to other institutions I'd worked at before) - I was initially unsure about approaching senior managers/traders in other depts with questions/requests to shadow but this soon subsided once I realised that the culture is so open/friendly.
Fairly busy. As with any internship - the more you put in, the more you get out. I had day-to-day tasks on my first desk but then continuously filled the time where I had cleared my work-load with shadowings/manager meetings. Product Control hours: 8am-6.30/7pm Equity Sales & Trading hours: 7/7.15am - 6pm (The above are generalised & clearly won't apply as above everyday)
As above, lots of responsibility. If you don't feel stretched you can ask for work from other desks. I got involved and understood processes completed by grads whilst in Product Control & whilst in equity sales was lucky enough to attend a client meeting. Given that I had not expected this based on previous experiences, I was pleasantly surprised.
Degree in Economics & Politics- the training/application gave me a wider appreciation of finance which I hadn't appreciated up to this point- a significant lapse in my understanding of how developed modern economies function. I am now better up to speed.
Really good crowd in both Product Control and Equities. There is a buzz on the trading floor and the Product control team is dominated by young persons who are very intelligent and ambitious. Great environment.
First week was training: this was very useful for me as someone with little prior financial knowledge. From this point the program was rotational. I got two rotations, as above, PC & EQ. First rotation was well organised with objectives being clearly defined by my manager. Good monitoring of my progress with review sessions. Second rotation was difficult to organise because so many of the desk were away on holiday and also given the shorter period of time spent in second rotation it is hard to get up to speed with a lot of the day to day tasks of the desk.
As mentioned, training week. Given Bloomberg access, Bloomberg training day. I subsequently had Bloomberg in to give me some desk specific training. Really huge amount of investment in personnel (I was surprised by the extent given that I am only an intern!)
Subsidised Canteen
Company Parties/Events
I hope to get an offer on my last day of work here. This reflects my experience. Whether or not I am actually going to get one is another matter!
Small intern intake- not everyone was up for socialising too frequently. That said, if you look, you will find. Have made a couple of good friends within the intern class here who I went out with on numerous occasions. HR also tried to get more people involved through social events throughout the placement. I think these may have been too heavily weighted towards the end of the placement but I still had a good time in terms of social life.
I live at home with my parents in Essex. So cost of living 0. Cost of going for food/drinks after work- immeasurable (I don't check my bank statement anymore!- because of the expense of drinks/food)
Club called Amber opposite. It's the city there's a lot on.
Sports and social frequently sent through opportunities to get involved in outside-of-work activities. Took part in a charity fun run/corporate event.
Internship (1-4 Months)
Banking - Investment
Central London and City
August 2016