Trading Intern Review

I really enjoyed it. Meeting people and learning a huge amount in such a short time was very surprising. I thought it would be very intimidating but everyone is very welcoming which eased my nerves almost immediately. It was hard to get used to early mornings but I have been given very interesting work and have had many great opportunities.

I feel very valued. I have been given a project that is very useful to the team and will have been hard to complete without me here as they don't necessarily have the time to do it themselves. I don't ever feel like I'm in the way or bothering anyone, everyone is very willing to help out as I think they know that my report will be very useful to clients and will make their lives easier.

I am constantly being helped and guided on my project by all members of the team. I am given individual lessons on different aspects of the job each day and everyone is always available when I have questions. No one is ever too busy to sit with me or answer questions. There is a huge amount of support not just in the team but through HR too and the women's network.

My first rotation on a trading desk was less busy. But in my second rotation I have a big project to complete so I always have something to do. I am also constantly moving around and talking to different people to get an overview of what everyone in the team does.

I am creating a document that is very useful for the team, but obviously on a trading placement, due to regulations we are not allowed to talk to clients or complete any trading ourselves. This is clear as it is illegal as we aren't qualified to do so. Despite that, I feel like I do have responsibility and a role within the team.

It won't help in my studies as I am studying maths. But I have learnt a great deal that will definitely be helpful in any job in finance. I have also learnt a lot about how to work well in a team and what it's like to be in a corporate environment so that will be useful for any job.

Everyone is very laid back and friendly which I really appreciate. Even when people are very busy they don't get stressed and annoyed. They will all always take the time to help me out. It is very much a team working together which creates a really nice and welcoming environment.

It was very well organised. There were many social events for interns as well as many talks from inspirational people. We had a lot of training at the beginning which was useful, mostly because it allowed us to get to know each other from the start. The second week we had 17 mini rotations - this was very quick and I'm not sure I benefitted as much as I could have because of the speed but it was a good opportunity to get to know everyone.

It is very expensive to house an intern and allow them access to various programs which is really appreciated by everyone. People have taken a lot of time to teach me and make sure I know what I'm doing which I think is the biggest investment. I don't think they could have done anymore to invest in us.

Everyone went out for drinks almost every day of the first week after work. This was a great opportunity to socialise with other interns which I greatly appreciated. There are many organised social events for interns and also for networks such as women in trading which was also a great opportunity to socialise with people within the company outside of work.

being in central London is very expensive. the pay definitely did compensate for that. There is no way to get around the fact that the bank is in a very expensive area. Living costs were very high meaning I had to commute a lot of the internship which was annoying but I didn't think it was worth the money to stay in London

We have to start very early in the morning so not many people have been going out. But there are many places to go - the nightlife is very good but it is also very expensive. There are bars at our doorstep and we are really near to Shoreditch so there is a lot to do and many restaurants about.