N/A Review

I found the insight programme to be extremely enjoyable! I felt extremely comfortable interacting with both staff and other students on the programme, and the activities were structured in a way that made it easy to talk to and work with others. The tasks were not too difficult as there was a large emphasis on teamwork- we were encouraged to solve problems by collaborating, giving us enough support to both complete and learn from the task.

Consistently throughout the programme, I felt as though I were genuinely being considered as a future employee and therefore as though I was being taken seriously and valued throughout my time. I had initially expected staff to be condescending to a degree, since the ages present ranged from as young as 16 to 19, but I didn't find this was the case at all! Tasks were structured in a way that meant that everyone had an equal opportunity to contribute, and everyone had a voice within their teams.

There was a dedicated recruitment/support team present at all time throughout the programme, so more than one person was viable to talk to at all times if we ever had any problems or questions. They were also extremely friendly and approachable, and everyone I met on the programme seemed to have the students' best interests in mind. In terms of the future, the programme was focused on giving us valuable information about taking on jobs in the field- I left the programme with a far better understanding of where I may fit into the sector and the kinds of jobs I may enjoy doing post university.

I believe I gained more skills in interacting with new people and learning how to approach people/ network successfully rather than develop any new trade skills for instance, though these will still be valuable to me in future. That was essentially the main benefit of the programme, at least for me; getting out of my comfort zone and being required to be alert and ready to learn something new or talk to someone new every day, an adaptability I think will be extremely important at university. Aside from this, it gave me a better idea of pathways into employment and more of a direction in which to focus my studies; having an end goal to work towards and knowing that my studies are applicable in the workplace will likely help me to make more meaningful and beneficial choices.

It couldn't possibly have been more structured- I still have the hour-by-hour schedule detailing exactly which activity we were doing and when, and there wasn't a moment during the programme when I felt as though they're run out of things for us to do or were unprepared. This was of course important for such a short programme- we only had a total of 3 days to cover quite a lot of tasks and briefings, and overall I felt as though the time was managed very efficiently; I never felt as though they were rushing through anything, more that there was a lack of activities.

The programme was extremely friendly and a lot more relaxed than I had expected, though despite this I certainly wouldn't say it was at all unprofessional. Save for a few, the other students didn't know each other and came from different schools, so there wasn't any worrying about being an 'outsider' amongst the group. Everyone else simply seemed eager and willing to learn more about the company and the way Nomura works, which I found made for a great opportunity to meet new people and create more contacts. The staff were also extremely open and happy to answer any questions we had about their work and the company, which was a great opportunity for anyone who had any specific questions about certain departments they wanted to ask, like myself.

The company did well to recognise and invest in every individual on the programme, as the activities were broken down in such a way. There was never an opportunity to get 'lost in the crowd'; the group was already relatively small at 50 people, and were were often split into smaller groups so the recruitment team could easily see how we react to certain tasks individually. I found it highly impressive that they organised personal one-on-one interviews for each attendee, and I found my particular session with an interviewer to be extremely insightful, as I got a critique of both my interview skills and my CV. Therefore, personally I felt as though the company put a lot of effort into ensuring we had the best possible experience which was most effective in targeting individual weaknesses.

Possibly my only critique of the programme is the lack of opportunity to witness actual employees at work and going about their jobs (however I do understand that the nature of the firm and security concerns somewhat naturally limited this). Despite this, I do think there could have been a little bit more information regarding what different roles throughout the company may involve, as a large amount of the programme focused upon looking at the firm overall as a single entity, modelling the different departments rather than looking at any, save the trading department, in depth.

The students on the programme were a little cut off from the rest of the firm (again, this can be put down to the nature of the firm and the existence of security protocol) so there was admittedly a lack of insight into the company culture and the way in which general employees conducted themselves. This was however somewhat catered for by the variety of guest speakers and visitors from various area of the company- I am sure that each department was represented at least once or twice throughout the programme, and there was no shortage of opportunity to ask questions about life and work at the company if you so desired.

It certainly made me more open to the idea of taking on a job in the company, as before I had been unsure as to whether the degree I want to do would be appropriate for a job in the banking sector. I now am aware that my planned degree choice is perhaps one of the most sought after in the industry, something I had not know before, so I am definitely reconsidering my perspective on the industry and future employment very seriously.

There was, I believe, an offer to be reimbursed for travel expenses if you asked- my travel expenses were actually paid for by the travel company so this did not apply to me. However, plentiful refreshments, snacks and lunches were provided throughout the programme so there was no need to spend any money nor leave the building at all. So essentially, in that respect, expenses were reimbursed.

Every lunch break was a 'networking lunch', in which we had ample opportunity to sit and talk with the employees of the company, so we could ask any questions we wanted to during these times. We were also encouraged to make contacts with the employees and exchanges Linkedin Profiles/ email addresses, and the staff were more than happy to do so. A large emphasis throughout the programme was put upon making a good impression with new people and conversation skills, and these networking sessions were a fantastic way for us to develop these skills.

In terms of the people, fantastic- the employees were friendly, answered questions and open to exchanging contact details. They also seemed to understand that they was some lack of experience and apprehension amongst the students, and made an effort to overcome these and support them. Practically, it was possibly made a bit more awkward than it had to be, firstly due to the lack of seats in the room and slight mismatch in trying to talk whilst eating (it sounds trivial, but trying to eat spaghetti with one hand in front of strangers is a little bit uncomfortable). Despite this, they were extremely helpful and well organised.

Being quite a demanding profession with long hours, there was some focus on the amenities available to staff outside of work, such as the on-site gym, and terrace, allotments, bar etc. I got the impression that employees were well provided for outside of work, however there wasn't a great deal of information about any outsourced activities- for example, I have heard of companies which hire out local sports facilities perhaps, for employee use, of which there was no mention throughout the programme. This doesn't mean to say this doesn't happen- I simply wasn't made aware of it.

Definitely! If you have an interest in working in the industry, I found it was a very smooth and comfortable, though appropriately interesting and challenging introduction to the banking sector, and I feel I gained a lot of essential information to make better future choices. It's also in a very accessible area of London with easy travel links, at least from where I live- you would struggle to get lost in the area and find it even harder to get stranded there, which is useful for someone who has had limited experience of traveling alone or in London.