Spring Intern Review

The 2018 Finance for Non-Finance Spring Week at J.P Morgan has an amazing opportunity to get involved with the finance world. All of us came from non-finance backgrounds and it was truly invaluable to be taught the basics of the financial system by the very best professionals in the sector. I met amazing people and had a great time talking to full-time staff from the firm.

I were treated extremely well at all times: all the activities were very well-planned and engaging, the speakers were admirable and the instructions before, during and even after the week were very clear. The recruitment team were approachable, fun and helpful at all times, always friendly and happy to chat as well!

We were sent loads of instructions via email, and were reminded of our schedule, responsibilities and role in the week constantly, which was helpful to get a good feel of the work environment at the firm. Full-time staff were willing to speak to us during networking events and also reachable via email. I felt like I could ask as many questions as needed.

My knowledge of the financial system went from 0 to 10 in those four days. I feel like the environment was perfect to learn so quickly and that the level of the talks was adapted to our level of knowledge, which made it so much easier to follow for someone with no background in finance.

Everything was very well planned and efficient. We started early in the morning with a delicious breakfast and then moved on to talks, workshops, networking and activities almost non-stop for the rest of the afternoon, and we even went on until 9pm some days for networking evening events. I was absolutely exhausted when I got home, which made me feel so productive and happy!

Everyone was friendly and so keen on the topics we were discussing. Not everyone knew much about finance so I felt like I could be open about my own lack of knowledge with both interns and full-time staff at the bank; the latter were especially understanding of this when talking to me. However, some students were competitive and tried to speak above everyone else, which I felt made people with less knowledge feel a bit insecure to ask questions. Luckily, speakers spotted them quickly and tried to engage everyone else as well in the discussions.

The company was amazing in the services provided to us. They made it very easy and economically accessible, as they provided accommodation, food, travel cards and a lunch card for the bank's canteen. I felt taken care of and the recruitment team made a huge effort to make us feel at ease in such an overwhelming building.

I was so lucky to be able to talk to full-time staff from non-finance degrees, especially women and foreign individuals like me. This helped me boost my confidence and understand what their job entails. I particularly enjoyed speaking to women with children and with people that studied the same degree I'm currently studying.

Integrity and family were words repeated throughout the week all the time. It is hard to differentiate between firms sometimes, and having what the key values of a company are is essential when considering a job there. They insisted a lot in their values and tried to make us think about how we could fit in their culture.

A combination of talks about the industry, workshops with people from outside the firm and networking events with people that worked in the bank was the perfect way of learning about banking, and it certainly helped me decide my future plans. The content was always relevant and helpful, and I never got bored!

The firm was very kind to make the event as accesible as possible, and we were paid for a travel card and accommodation if needed. I think they even paid for flights for overseas or international students. We did had to take an Uber on a DLR strike day, and weren't reimbursed for that, but I don't think that was their responsibility either.

There were two networking events, lunch and dinner, on two separate days. I was surprised by how many employees showed up and how keen they were on speaking to us about their experiences. I felt like I could ask the most basic questions without sounding silly, and they were happy to give away email addresses to.

We had food provided to us in a self-service format and we could speak to employees standing up. I would have liked to have networking drinks instead of networking meals, as I felt like I couldn't eat at any point if I wanted to make the most of the networking. It would have been good to the take the lunch break as a moment to relax and enjoy a meal, rather than stressing about the impression we were giving to the employees.

Employees seemed to have very busy work lives, but also to be able to balance it with other activities. I was very interested in knowing about this as I would love to continue doing the things I love once I start working in the firm, and employees were happy to answer that question and to give tips on how to balance life and work.

It has been an invaluable experience and I think everyone from every background, gender, race and sexuality should be encouraged to apply to this type of events. Diversity adds some much value to a group of individuals and I felt like I was rarely undermined or discriminated. I learnt so much so I couldn't recommend it more.