Summer Markets Intern Review

Good exposure to the company- allowed you to get a feel for the culture yourself. Great to gain a good foundational basis and network within the company. Everyone was aware that we all had limited knowledge basis and therefore, were understanding and patient and willing to teach you. The length of hours depended on the desk- however, some were very early.

Everyone was very friendly and willing to give you time if you got them at the right time. More than welcoming onto desks, and willing to explain any questions or queries and help out with other tasks such as the Trading Game and Individual End of Internship Projects where they could.

Managers were all very helpful and supported me completely. They gave constant feedback throughout when asked and when required. They all seemed approachable and I felt comfortable going to them with questions and queries. I was on the most part aware of what was expected of me. However, there were some desks with lack of work.

Depended on the desk- some had a lot of tasks others none due to compliance issues. This caused some issues as some Interns had a lot of free time to devote to the Trading Game throughout the day whereas some had nothing. A lot of the tasks were admin/ excel formatting based, was hard to add value on desks.

Was asked to complete reports, and briefs and tables that were sent internally. No massive responsibility around client based jobs- however, this was expected. Most responsibility came from the Internal trading game, however, this was sometimes hard to manage when not all group members were as invested as others. I however, never felt overwhelmed and felt comfortable with the level of responsibility in which I had on my rotations.

I would say that the skills would not assist me with my degree as I don't do a finance related degree. Moreover, I would argue that my team work skills were already quite well established from the team sports I play. However, the foundational basis of knowledge in which I acquired will be retained and have allowed me to now have a greater understanding of the areas in which I enjoy and don't as much which will be invaluable with my future jobs.

Depended on the floor. Each floor had a very different environment and vibe. However, every team that I was sat with on each floor was very kind and keen to teach. This made me feel welcomed. There was never a point in which I felt that I was a burden and that I was in the way.

Very well organised from the start- we all had all the documentation waiting for us when we arrived. Throughout the Internship there has been regular contact with HR and there is a clear structure- it has run smoothly. The only time in which it could have been more helpful was not having to complete the pre-internship learning while doing exams in which I know a lot of other Inters had exams at this time too- would have been more helpful to have been given these tasks much earlier in time and given a large time frame to complete.

Was dependent on the desk manager and the tasks set at the beginning of the rotation. Would have enjoyed more networking events- they were very frequent in the beginning weeks of the Internship but not throughout. Would have been nice to have 1 a week and have more lunches/ evenings with each department.

We were told that there was quite a high conversion rate for Interns onto the Grad Programme. It was made clear the process in which we need to complete and impress with to be offered a place. Was helpful to speak to buddies and grad's to see how they are enjoying working at the firm in a more junior role.

Interns were social- was up to you how much you want to invest in socialising. Everyone was very inclusive. Would have been nice to have more organised drinks and dinner events throughout the internship for just the Interns then maybe with our buddies- more organised social scenes would have been nice.

Very expensive to rent nearby. Was hard to pay rent in the first weeks as we didn't get paid for a month. This meant that deposit and the first 4/5 weeks had to be funded individually. Travel expenses weren't covered (if they were I was unaware). Food in the canteen was cheap and was cheaper to eat internally than in other cafes.

Was a lively area after work. Lots of restaurants and places for drinks on the doorstep of the building. Was really fun towards the end of the week especially on Thursdays. Everyone was encouraged to go out for a drink and Interns regularly went out together on Fridays and sometimes during the week.

Wasn't many things that I was made aware of. A few people went clubbing and for dinner. However, this was purely down to the Interns initiative. We had a community day which was really fun and nice to get out of the office and socialise on a more informal level.