Spring Insight Programme Review

The week was highly rewarding and informative, and allowed me to gain a much better understanding of how Rothschild operates, with the opportunity to learn about all the different divisions with Global Financial Advisory. But it was the friendliness of the other Spring Weekers and HR which made the week an enjoyable and memorable experience.

Everyone I met during the week at Rothschild was always friendly and approachable. I was pleasantly surprised that when meeting with some of the directors, they were always enthusiastic and happy to answer any questions you may have, regardless of how simple they may have been. Further to this, when talking to some of the analysts, they were more than glad to take time out of their busy schedules to help with our group projects.

The whole week was run very smoothly by HR, and everyone from the analysts to the managing directors were more than happy to answer any questions you may have had. HR especially were very approachable and knowledgeable and we were always treated as potential future employees and not just as temporary 1 week interns.

While maybe not directly relevant to my degree, the week was hugely beneficial in helping to develop skills in presentation and communication. One of the highlights of my week was undoubtedly the workshop where we learnt how to confidently address an audience in a presentation type setting and pick apart any mistakes we were making.

The insight week was very well scheduled by HR, with the right balance between talks from the different divisions, work shadowing sessions, workshops and group projects. One of my favorite parts of the week was working at the charity Body & Soul, where we designed a superheroes party set for the children.

The atmosphere was very positive, with everyone being very friendly and approachable. At the same time you could tell, due to the high performance of the firm, that everyone at Rothschild was very driven to achieve their best. This was seen in the atmosphere of our group projects, where everyone wanted to show what they were capable of and give the best piece of work they could achieve.

The skills we were taught in giving presentations and how to communicate effectively were skills that would be invaluable if we had the chance to work at Rothschild. Especially when being taught how to improve your performance in interviews, it showed that the firm wanted to give you every opportunity to succeed and have a potential future at Rothschild.

Everyone at the firm always treated us as potential future employees and not just as temporary interns. When listening to the talks about each division within Rothschild, it never felt this was done just to fill time but rather to try give us the best opportunity at understanding where within the business you may fit into best and where your strengths may be best utilized.

The insight very much helped in my understanding of the culture, especially when learning about the history of Rothschild and how they have kept their same company values for centuries. The very trusting nature of the company was always very prevalent, with analysts telling me how they had gained invaluable early responsibilities in their job.

The week has without doubt reinforced my choice of career path and has been an experience I could never have gained from just online research or talking to people who had done it before.

Train ticket cost was reimbursed for the week.

There were huge opportunities to network, from tea and cakes with the directors to having an informal lunch with the analysts. My favorite networking experience was without doubt the work shadowing sessions, where we would get into pairs and be assigned an analyst and could ask any questions we had. This was a a very personal experience and allowed my to get to know a few of the analysts much better.

Many of the activities we got up to during the week were always a very sociable and enjoyable, such as the opening day drinks and our charity work at Body & Soul. Our group of spring weekers were very sociable and even in the short period of time we had together, I have got to know a few very well and will undoubtedly keep in touch.

We discovered much about the voluntary work that employees at Rothschild have the opportunity to take part in and that many choose to help give something back to the local community.

Absolutely, the experience of going into the office every day and working together as a team on our projects gave a very clear understanding on what a career at Rothschild may be like. The whole week was invaluable to my understanding on the industry and any future career plans and was an experience that could not be gained from background reading or online research.