First Step Program (Insight) Review

The insight opportunity was incredibly enjoyable - we got to learn about many different sectors and jobs within investment banking and Nomura through talks, exercises, games and networking. It was really engaging and allowed us to meet many like-minded people our own age, as well as young new employees and people on the undergraduate scheme.

As it was only an insight programme - a tester - there wasn't much opportunity for us do things which would mean we had value at the company. In terms of anything professional, we only looked at an IBD case study. However people we met on the undergraduated scheme told us that they were given a lot of responsibility in their roles, and were listened to by their bosses and managers consistently.

The only opportunities for support were when we were taking part in the games/exercises in teams. In general, we were given an objective, and then left to work out ourselves how we were going to tackle the problem. However, if we needed any help with what we were doing, we only had to ask and they were friendly and helpful in delivering it. This allowed us the opportunity of having responsibility and to use problem-solving techniques and abilities.

The program was helpful as it didn't just focus on the specifics of Nomura and investment banking, but also had certain workshops (eg. CV and interview skills workshop) which taught us tranferrable skills which we can take with us. It also taught me personally (as I had little banking or finance knowledge prior) a bit about banking through the activities we took part in and the common terminology used. In terms of specifics, it wasn't about teaching people about Nomura specifically, but about the world of banking in general.

The insight was very structured- we were given schedules on the first day stating when, where and whom with every activity was on all three days. We always knew where we were going next, and we never felt like we were just wasting time anywhere.

The atmosphere was intimidating at first, as it was obviously a very important building, but with the group it was very relaxed. It was fairly informal when talking to Stephanie and Lucy (the two main ladies who ran it) and with any guest speakers. When we started networking with people, it was friendly and informative.

There was no opportunity for this, except the investment of their time.

It was unlike a full time role in the firm as the days were much, much shorter, and we weren't actually doing any 'work' as such, only attending talks and participating in exercises. However, I believe that with the Q&A panel of young employees, and the multiple opportunities for networking that were available, I found out quite a bit about general working hours, holidays, expected job roles and potential job opportunities available to employees.

The content was incredibly useful as it showed us what investment banking was in a nutshell, and is something I would now consider as a possible career path, knowing some pros and cons of working in the finance industry, compared to my ignorance of before. There was a wide variety of content covered, from making a self-changing economic model, to negotiations and sales, to pitching ideas, which also allowed us to see what specific types of jobs we have an interest in.

The only expenses were travel expenses - which were quite high at a total of £140 for the three days. However, it was a choice that I made to travel to London, so I was happy not being reimbursed for this cost.

Yes, there were many opportunitites for networking - two of the lunches on the three days were networking lunches with employees in the building from different and varied sectors in finance (from technology and media, to sales, to analysts). On the evening of the last day, there was a networking opportunity with parents, with more Nomura staff there and the added opportunity of your parents being able to talk to them.

They were on the whole useful, however it was sometimes difficult to find someone relevant to the area of work you were specifically interested in.

No.

Yes, absolutely would recommend this to anyone who does Business and Economic A Level, or is otherwise in any way remotely interested in banking and the finance industry. Even if you're doing seemingly unrelated A Levels (as I am) its a perfect opportunity to find out more, and, as I found, you don't need to do Economics, at university or otherwise, to be eligible to work there.