Investment Banking Summer Analyst Review

I really enjoyed it. I learned so much more than I ever imagined, and the collaborative culture made it a pleasure to come into the office each day.

I felt valued by my colleagues all of the time, my work was given constructive feedback (be it positive or negative when necessary) to ensure that I received the best learning experience possible.

The seniors in the team were often hard to get hold of because of their busy schedules, but when they were available their advice was great.

Every day was a busy one. I never felt like I was at a loose end and I always had a number of tasks to be working on. The intensity of the work also naturally scaled up as the placement progressed which meant that I wasn't overloaded at the beginning and could handle the extra pressure at the end.

I worked on two live deals, and saw a lot of my work go to client meetings and presentations which was great.

As i'm studying engineering, there aren't too many transferables in terms of hard skills learned, but the soft skills learned will help me when it comes to presentations, networking events and speaking to more senior members of staff.

The office atmosphere is very bright, people understand the work that needs to be done but are still able to make it a pleasant working environment.

The organisation was great, although a couple of events were cancelled, it was understandable and explained. We were also provided with opportunities to learn things outside of our direct functions on desk through the Speaker Series.

The 7 days of training at the beginning of the placement were amazing for me as they provided me with the necessary base knowledge to be effective on the desk from day one.

Very appealing. I can't wait to return in 12 months time as a graduate!

Yes, a number of us on the placement tried to socialise when we could at weekends which made a big difference after a tough week.

Cost of living is relatively high (as is everywhere in Central London), but the compensation is high enough to make it affordable.

There are many pubs and bars in the vicinity of the office that you can go to if you have free time (on a Friday).

Not so many as we were so busy on the desk, but there were a couple of events organised by the program managers which were enjoyable and a good chance to blow off some steam.