FIC Summer Intern Review

The virtual internship, though very different to what I had expected, was extremely insightful. It was well structured, informative and allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of how the investment bank worked as a whole. We learnt about the true breadth and depth of FIC Sales and Trading division, through sessions with the multitude of desks available. This dived deeper into how they operate as well as introducing us to members of the bank we could network with throughout the internship. Overall, I truly enjoyed and appreciate the value gained from this experience.

Despite the difficulties a virtual setting could bring, the structure of the internship and the efforts of the recruitment team made me feel highly valued throughout my time during this internship. We were given an allocated project champion who was constantly checking in. My recruiter was also very involved in ensuring I felt at ease, answered any queries I may have had and actively supported me throughout the experience. Furthermore, whenever I spoke to other members of the bank who were not directly involved in the internship, they were always very willing to spare time to answer my questions.

Again, even though a virtual environment could introduce obstacles, I was provided with a lot of guidance and support thanks to my mentor and recruiter. We were given an allocated project champion, who were managing directors at Deutsche Bank. My experience with my champion was incredible. We were constantly communicating throughout, she would check up on me, give me advice and support in regards to our projects and connected me to other members of the bank I was interested in learning more about.

When coming into a finance related internship, the information you gain is always applicable to current real-world events. As we go through economically and politically challenging times, I now always have a different perspective and try to analyse/forecast how these events may affect foreign exchange, rates, credit and emerging markets. I now explore these with a stronger understanding and foundation, which also helps me when applying this to economic models I am studying at university.

The virtual experience was extremely well-structured. The internship was four weeks (originally 9, pre-coronavirus). The first two weeks focused on Deutsche Bank as a whole, and how the investment bank plays fits into the unit. Here, we were trained and later assessed on how investment banking works. We explored the products and services within FX, rates, credit and emerging markets and how they operate. In the latter part of the internship, we dived more specifically into the FIC desks. For each desk we went through case studies, business panels, product deep dives and associate connects. Overall, it was extremely well structured and we were able to cover a vast amount in a short period of time.

Overall, the atmosphere was friendly, supportive and new. Meeting other interns in a virtual setting isn't as easy when it is a large group call and the days are extremely busy. However, I am still in contact with many interns, and the group presentations allowed for meeting new people on a more personal level. On a more general note, the recruitment team were motivating, supportive and created an atmosphere where we all felt comfortable to speak up.

As mentioned before, in the first two weeks we were trained by an external company to learn about the investment bank as a whole and the products in each division in more detail. We were also provided with various online courses throughout to help develop our excel skills, learn about current economic affairs and to consolidate what we learnt from training. In regards to personal training, we also had other sessions to teach us about how to present and be confident whilst doing so. Overall, they invested a lot.

The second half of the internship definitely allowed us to explore what a day-to-day looked like with the desk sessions. Those members presenting actually ran through what a day would look like in their role. These were often people who had been with the bank longer, or in higher positions. We were also allocated a buddy, and had associate connects with each desk which meant we were allowed to ask questions about what their jobs consist as part of the graduate programme.

During the first two weeks we had various talks about the values of Deutsche Bank as well what they expect from each employee coming in. One of the reasons I initially applied was because I felt that their company values aligned with mine. One thing that was commonly spoken about across almost all employees was how entrepreneurial the bank is. I believe this is very unique to DB since the investment banking sector as a whole is not normally known for allowing creativity. Overall, I think the experience gave me a good understanding of the company culture.

This experience definitely helped me gain a much deeper understanding of this side of finance, and how investment banking truly works. The ever-evolving nature of the role, coupled with my true interest in economics and mathematics definitely helped me confirm that this is the path I would like to pursue. Finally, the virtual experience with the bank allowed me to understand and appreicate their culture and what they stand for as a company beyond the profit.

There were various networking experiences; through my project champion and my buddy I was able to connect with various members of the bank I was interested in learning more about. Those I reached out to were always willing to spare time for a call to answer any questions I may have had as well as learn a bit more about me. Finally, through associate connect with each desk, we had a Skype call to connect with two employees who were part of the graduate programme for each desk.