Summer Analyst Review

This internship was one of the best I did in my student curriculum (as a French student, it is mandatory for my graduation to do at least 3 internships). I really enjoyed the internship for many reasons: 1) HR really take care of your personal case and invest a lot of time and effort to design an appropriate internship that would allow you to discover the world of financial market in a bulge bracket bank 2) professionals were super involved in the program despite time constraint and pressure 3) I met really interesting colleagues and other interns passionated by what they were doing

Because I had to deliver in average one project/presentation per week, I really feel involved in the day to day business or at least spirit of each desk I rotated on. The time colleagues (analysts, associates, VPs, MDs) took to help me and show me how to improve some parts of the project was very stimulating and I felt particularly valued.

Guidance given by HR was particularly useful to know if we were correctly allocating our time among different desks. They also were the coordinator between the desk and us in the hiring process. Guidance by senior manager was key especially at the middle and end of the summer internship. I had really direct and clear conversations with a few of them that help me understand my position and further think about what I really want to do.

I would say that the rhythm of the first 2/3 weeks were really reasonable (we had some presentations and training sessions, so we were not at that time 100% of our time on the trading floor). It true that if you want to deliver well-archieved projects you have to invest a lot of time and effort. But that's the game I think and it's definitely worth it.

Because you do not have passed mandatory exams, your area of responsibility seems at first sight limited. But the exposure to senior people is really stimulating. I had a project where the goal was to explore our to understand some correlations and this engage a real discussion within the desk with junior and senior people.

Most of my courses were within the area of corporate finance and financial market. This internship really allows me to put into practice what I've learned and to go deeper in my understanding of many complex issues. I really appreciate that some weeks I was on very technical/mathematical projects in which I invested a lot of time and effort. It was also an opportunity to collaborate with many different people within the firm and among the summer intern class.

I was really surprised by the atmosphere on the trading floor and how people were interacting with each other. I think the firm created a very positive atmosphere that allows people to talk and interact with any manager from any degree in the hierarchy. My colleagues were most of the time happy and available to take time to answer my question. I really feel at ease.

HR did a great job, really. Compared to all the other internships I did, this is unprecedented. The firm invests a lot in new interns and you definitely feel it. The first week is very interesting to get to know the firm culture, organisation and structure. The training week allows to discover (and for my case review) key finance knowledge. The rotation system is I think the best think we can imagine to do: 1) it allows you see many different desks/ people (so it increases your job opportunities) 2) it allows you to develop your network 3) it allows you to take time to deeply understand where and why you want to do this particular job

I think the firm invest a lot in summer interns as I previously mentioned. The firm really wants to find the right profile and its a rule you have to accept because this particular place will help you to be successful and build your own path within the firm. I feel a real investment from manager to let me think about my future role.

You know pretty easily if desks want you or not, i.e. if they are doing to potentially hire you at the end of the internship. I think that it is necessary to stay open-minded and also seek new opportunity on desk you never thought about because it may be the right place for you. On a trading floor, you can find dozens of completely different jobs. The firm was clearly bullish this year on hiring.

Interaction with other interns was very good and great song links. I really appreciated to help some fellow students on their projects and I also feel grateful when I was facing some obstacles to rely on them to help me solve the problem. I think you definitely have to see your fellow placement students as a leverage (for the summer and beyond).

Cost of leaving is pretty high in London compared to other major cities. But the firm helps you pretty decently.

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I think you have many opportunities in London. I personally like museums, running along the Thames etc...