Summer analyst Review

My internship was exactly what I was looking for in terms of an introduction to the finance industry. I was clear about wanting to experience the data analysis side of asset management during the hiring process, and thus I was allocated a desk which had a project for me to do involving lots of data analysis and providing trends and insights, which I thoroughly enjoyed doing.

My colleagues were all very welcoming, especially my managers and my buddy who was assigned as a more informal point of contact for the summer. I also had a really multinational team which meant I could experience different cultures and many different points of view. My team consisted of senior managers as well as younger graduates so I had a wide pool of knowledge to draw from.

My managers were very supportive of my learning since I do not come from a finance background. They gave me lots of relevant material to read and analyse before starting me on the project, during which they were also very helpful whenever I had any questions. My buddy was also keen to help with any problems I had, no matter how small.

My main project was quite big so I always had things to be getting on with. Apart from this, I offered my help to my managers with any of their tasks and they always gave me something useful and interesting to do. During the run up to the final presentations I was naturally busier but this was to be expected and my team were supportive of my time commitments.

My managers made it clear to me at the start that the project I was assigned and the findings I would present would be useful to the team in the future and they explained how and when my data analysis would be used. Even with the smaller tasks I did for my team I knew it was benefitting them in some way and so I always felt I was contributing to the team and had responsibility.

I have been able to develop my financial skills and knowledge which I was quite weak in before starting, so this will help me going forwards and progressing through my career in finance. The softer skills I have learned such as appropriate communication in the workplace and working in a multinational team will benefit me both at university and life beyond.

The atmosphere was both formal but also relaxed at the same time, which was really refreshing to see in a workplace. Everyone was serious about their work but were not afraid to take breaks and have more informal catch ups with interns such as myself, which was a great way for me to learn more about the business at large.

The onboarding team and HR were always available to contact for help and there was strong communication between us, HR and our managers, which ensured that everyone was up to date with deadlines and feedback. It was very encouraging to have this sort of framework in place as I always knew who to turn to for help.

The training at the start of the internship was very intensive but also incredibly useful, and it was great to be surrounded by interns that were on the same level of financial knowledge as me so we could all learn together. We also had presentation skills training before our final presentations which was really useful when planning our pitch.

Having spoken to many of the graduates on their rotational scheme, I was excited to learn about the possibilities and future opportunities. They all seemed to enjoy their work and were always up for sharing their experiences on the internship program. It seems that all of the employees are happy working here so I would love to work here in the future.

We would sometimes go out for drinks after work with the other interns and graduates but also with our teams, as my team went out for a darts night with one of the other desks which was a great way to relax and get to know other people! There was also a go-karting event organised for interns which was fun and something new to do away from the office.

It was quite expensive as it is in London, but this was to be expected so I came mentally prepared! However the interns would always try and scope out deals and offers and the graduates were always helpful in pointing us in the right direction. I lived in student halls/accommodation for the 10 weeks which was more expensive than privately renting a house/flat with other people but it was more convenient for me personally.

As it is in London there was lots of choice for clubs and bars and restaurants, both in the vicinity of our workplace but also across the city. As interns we liked to go to one of the outdoor bars in Canary Wharf and there were lots of restaurants to choose from too.

There was a football team but I was personally not interested in this. Apart from this there was a gym in the building which a lot of the interns signed up to use. In terms of social activities, the recruitment team had lots of things organised for us including go-karting and a corporate social responsibility day.