Spring Intern Review

Overall the insight was well structured, helpful, and the people were friendly. The schedule for the week was packed with group activities, work shadowing, and networking events. Focus generally shifted between individual development work, and application of this into team/group environments. The two days spent on specific divisions were interesting and insightful, with broad overviews of divisional roles supported by personal individual accounts of day-to-day work.

The company repeatedly reiterated how highly they regard their people. Even entering the very outer edges of the company world people across divisions made an effort to reflect this attitude in their speeches, responses to questions, and descriptions of life working at the company. Diversity is clearly an aim of the company currently; the topic was mentioned many times during the week, with respect to how thought processes were benefited by different perspectives, which inevitably comes from people with different backgrounds. This drive towards diversity was reflected in the range of people present on the spring week.

The cohort of students experiencing the insight this year was fairly large, making specific relationships with individuals throughout the week hard to implement from the bank's perspective. However, if students were proactive, the same firm personnel were present throughout the week at various events, so there was the opportunity to meet employees and then talk to them again later in the week, should students be positive in meeting new people. This was facilitated through the large number of networking events. If possible it would be beneficial for candidates to have access to a mentor, even if not on a one-to-one basis, because this could allow for a more casual environment in which to ask questions, and to get to know one of the employees a bit better.

N/A for my degree (as it is unrelated to finance). However I would say that there were some really good skills sessions, and team working sessions which were helpful in developing soft skills related to working in any environment with people. Alongside that, the opportunity to present information to groups, and work with people who we didn't know gave me confidence to proceed in similar situations in the future. There were some interesting sessions related to how individuals think and communicate which provided the opportunity to better understand the way in which I work.

The insight was well balanced, with appropriate breaks between activities, and different locations in which those activities were held. The timetable was fairly packed for the week meaning that applicants got the most out of the time at BAML. One area for improvement next week would be better structuring of line of business talks; one of which was held too late in the week. Ideally these would be short presentations on the first day, to give applicants a better and more personal overview of the bank's structure. Following this, there should also be the opportunity to spend time with more divisions should people wish to, with a focus on the primary choice.

People were generally friendly, open, and informative during the insight. The bank promoted equality, intellectual curiosity, and development of networks. The employees and students alike seemed to work together throughout the week within the framework of such qualities, making for a positive, constructive, and quietly competitive atmosphere. There seemed to be a mix of people who were very set on career paths, whilst there were others who were less sure of their future choices, and the insight catered for both.

Employees took significant time out of their schedules to share experiences and insights into how their personal experience of the bank had developed, and how their different lines of business worked.

On the whole there was very good exposure to real life work on the job at the firm. Case studies and examples of the kind of work that employees carry out were available to students throughout the week.

A week is too short a time period to discern how the wishes of a company to instate a given culture in their employees are reflected in the real culture division to division, and between different levels of seniority. However, it was clear that the bank was driving towards widely accepted social goals such as promoting equality and diversity in the workplace, and empowering junior talent to bring about real change in the organisation.

Incredibly valuable. The week allowed me to make a clear decision in terms of the direction of my career path, and above that just gave me time to clearly consider what would best suit me in terms of a role in the future. There were many activities oriented around giving students a better understanding of their own aptitudes, which provides an understanding of oneself which allows for judgement of careers paths which may not be possible without this training.

There were extensive opportunities to meet other like minded students, and to talk to and network with employees of widely varying lines of business and seniority. The ability to talk to this variety of people was actually the highlight of the week for me, because it allowed an understanding of the bank and the firm's culture which went far beyond personal experiences. There were networking sessions every day almost, which entailed large numbers of employees coming to talk to the students, answering the questions and allowing for the creation of networks for the future.

There were evening social activities in the week which allowed for a more informal setting in which to discuss the working of the bank, the lives of the people who work there, and the students' backgrounds as well.

It was mentioned throughout the week that there are many sports and social clubs, as well as wide opportunities for charity and community work.

Yes. Incredibly helpful, whether you have no idea which area of the bank is right for you (or if you are not even sure that finance is the best career path for you at all), or if you are certain that trading, or credit. or IB etc are your future career paths. I would say people with the most direction are likely to get the most out of the week because the quality of conversations with employees is inevitably better and more rewarding. A good experience of life in this kind of environment.