Summer Analyst Review

Greatly enjoyed my time at the firm, helped hugely by the fact that all employees were hugely accommodating and keen to ensure that we left with a positive impression of the firm.

Given the number of firms that compete for the best interns, the Bank places huge importance on ensuring that interns feel valued. I was always praised when I completed a task well and colleagues always showed their appreciation for my efforts.

There was an entire week at the start of the internship dedicated to training all interns on the company's processes and procedures, along with giving all interns financial and accounting knowledge. Alongside this, during the internship, all of the firm's employees (even the senior ones!) were willing to sit down with you and answer any questions you had. This approachable nature extended to all the bank's employees that I met.

The staffing system whereby all interns are allocated to a staffer who regularly keeps track of how much work they have is very useful in helping to ensure that you are always sufficiently busy (so that you don't get bored) but not overloaded with work (so that you don't have to stay in the office until the early hours of the morning!).

As with any job, colleagues are happy to give you more responsibility once you prove yourself. Everyone takes a couple of weeks to get used to the computer systems and to build up speed with the day-to-day tasks, but at about the half-way stage of the internship, seniors are more than happy to leave you doing longer projects all by yourself and even involve you in client calls!

The key skill you learn is that of time management - the more and more responsibility you get given, the more important it becomes to ensure that you are working productively and doing everything in the most efficient manner. Social skills are also important as it is crucial to build a network of friends within the bank - both to help you in times of difficulty or just to talk to you when you're stressed.

The general atmosphere was always fun, with people always happy to stop and chat about the weekend's football results! However, the office can also be quiet at times - when everyone gets busy and stressed, they have to set their minds on their work.

The whole process was very organised, all the way from the application stages (application form, interviews etc.) through to the 9 week internship itself. The programme also involved a training week, a number of ice-break events, and regular meetings with HR and other members of the bank to check on your progress and clear up any concerns you may have. Overall, very pleased with this aspect!

As mentioned before, the first week of the programme is a dedicated training week, designed to ensure that all interns are up-to-date with all the computer systems and on an equal footing regarding financial/accounting knowledge. This week really does help you feel more confident in the work you'll be doing. There is no specific training after this, but employees are always happy to answer your questions if and when they come up.

We are told at the start of the internship that every intern who is good enough will be offered a permanent job by the bank. This is true of the large majority of interns - as long as you work hard, don't make too many mistakes and are a generally nice person, they will definitely want to hire you!

The social scene was great, if ever you wanted to get away from the office to grab lunch or to grab a drink and de-stress, you could always walk up to another intern and ask someone to take a break with you. Interns also regularly went out at night to enjoy the London nightlife!

The cost of living and socialising is unfortunately expensive everywhere in London. Fortunately, the bank recommends to interns some particularly affordable places to live and also provides a small relocation fee to help you deal with these costs.

Central London is renowned for its good nightlife so this was one of the best parts of the internship. Fortunately, the different teams within the bank make a special effort to take you on nights out from time to time, and this is useful to introduce you to new clubs and bars that you would otherwise never have come across.

The bank offered all interns a special Gym discount which offers you an opportunity to stay fit if you so choose. There is also plenty of opportunity to get involved with community projects if that's something you're interested in - at the start of the internship, all interns completed a gardening project in west London and worked with the local community.