Spring Intern Review

I really enjoyed the Spring Week as it gave me so many opportunities that I had never had before. Despite it being over Zoom, I was able to network and make full use of the research task that was set. As I do not study a financial degree this was a massive learning curve, however it turned out amazingly and I relished every second of it.

I felt very valued as I was treated like an equal by everyone I spoke to who worked at the firm. People constantly responded to my emails as well as gave me some of their time to give me advice and explain their role at the firm. I never once felt like people were being condescending or did not value me as a person and a colleague during the experience.

I received a tremendous amount of guidance on my Insight Week. My buddy would always respond to my emails and gave very clear instructions in regards to the task that was set. All emails were replied too when there were any questions about the firm or the research task. I could not have asked for better support during my insight.

The information I received gave me a much better insight into the world of an investment bank and what working in the specific division I applied to entails. Although I do not study a financial degree, the research task helped me develop my research skills and my public speaking skills. It also helped me deliver complex information in a concise way which is important in my degree.

The Insight was structured well. Initially when I received the timetable I thought there would be more scheduled talks down. However my insight ended up being extremely busy due to the time I dedicated to my research task as well as having to network with people in order to get the most out of the experience. My first thoughts were wrong, it ended up being structured perfectly.

The atmosphere of my insight was fantastic. Everyone I spoke to at the firm could not have been more helpful if they tried. I also felt like I was treated as an equal and a colleague. The other interns in my group were all lovely and we helped each other out with individual queries which was great. I thought it would have felt far more competitive than it did.

As it was a virtual Spring Week, there was not a lot of financial training involved. I do think this is anomalous due to the Covid-19 situation as everyone else I have spoken to who has attended a Spring in the past said they got a lot of financial training.

The insight gave me a very good understanding of what it would be like to work at the firm. Everyone I spoke to was incredibly honest (which surprised me) and similar sentiments were echoed across the division I interned in. I felt like there was no question I could ask that would not be answered truthfully and adequate advice be given alongside it.

The insight gave me a very deep understanding of the culture. I entered the insight week with many preconceptions about the organisation, however, much to my surprise, these were all proven wrong. It was so interesting to see how everyone seemed to have had the same experience in terms of the culture. A lot of people came in with the same preconceptions of me and they were also surprised how wrong they were.

This insight has massively helped me decide on my future career path. I was using it as an indicator of whether I would actually enjoy working at an investment bank and I can say that I do and I cannot wait to continue my journey towards getting a graduate job at this firm or a similar one.

I was paid for my 2 weeks at the firm. They did offer to reimburse expenses however I was not eligible for this due to me living relatively close to the office. Reimbursement also did not apply to this insight week as it was virtual, but I am sure if you could not get a refund on the flights you had booked to attend, they firm would cover those.

There were plenty of opportunities for me to meet other employees at the firm. Despite it being virtual my buddy that I was paired with who works at GS connected me and the other 2 people she was mentoring to her whole team at the firm. Through speaking in one on one conversations with them, I was connected to more people at the firm. The opportunities were there if you were willing to ask.

There were networking opportunities, but you had to advocate for yourself and go out and find them. I do think this is because the Spring Week was virtual so it would be almost impossible to co-ordinate social events online. However, I did speak to people who have done the Spring Week in previous years and they said the networking opportunities were fabulous.

Yes. There were talks on many of the initiatives surrounding the firm. Lots included volunteering which I am particularly passionate about so I found this very insightful, From speaking to other people who worked at the firm, there are also sporting opportunities which appeal to me too. They definitely made sure to mention the activities you can get involved with outside of the office.

I would absolutely recommend this insight to a friend. Everything I have learnt over the past two weeks has been invaluable and I could not have asked for a better experience. If you get invited to attend, I would not turn it down as it has honestly shaped my view of how I would like my future career to go in a way I did not expect it to.