Global Advisory 2017 Spring Insight Programme Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the entire 5 days at Rothschild. It was a good mix of Networking and Insight into the company. A big focus was on the differentiation of Rothschild; the family, the work culture and the advisory-only model. Access was given to the entire executive structure with frequent contact with analysts and directors. Emphasis was also put on the Project Work that we were given (preparing a pitch for a hypothetical M&A deal). This was a great way to

Doing the Spring Insight, feeling valued was not guaranteed. But the amount of effort that was put into presenting the firm to us made me feel extremely valued. We were also not presented with an idealised version of the firm. The work shadowing and networking never felt forced and the analysts were more than happy to give a critical overview of the firm A lot of emphasis was put on the community involvement of Rothschild as well and we got to participate in some volunteering.

The HR team was always available to support us should we be confused by what we were doing. Although the Project work that we had was originally quite daunting. We realised that we were able to rely on our ourselves to find the information we needed. Analysts were also more than happy to give us nuggets of insight into how we could make out work seem more professional and realistic.

A selection of the information sessions we had: - IT Skills - How to read the FT - The actual work of the bank - How to make the most of the week All of these were highly insightful and informative. Although the material was not complicated, it gave a great overview of what the bank does and how we could be a part of this.

The Insight week was extremely well structured. It was a good mix between activities, networking and downtime. In the evenings we had the opportunity to work on our projects, but HR was not watching over us meaning that it never felt forced. The days started at 9 usually and ended at 5 after which we could grab dinner and return to the office for work.

Everyone that I met, whether other intern or employee, was extremely friendly and open. HR also felt more as members of our group than people who were assessing us. Due to the small group size (25) we got to know everyone very well during the week and HR did a fantastic job in selecting a compatible group where everyone had different experiences but was largely on the same wavelength.

Rothschild really tried to develop our understanding of the firm. Their invest was the time of high-level executives who really tried to answer our questions, regardless of whether technical or personal. The session on our personal brand was also very insightful despite being a video of a previous session. Although some individual sessions were less relevant personally, due to my background in finance, there were always nuggets of wisdom.

The insight was extremely helpful in deciding the career path. The work shadowing was also extremely helpful, due to us having an unfiltered access to analysts, which is how we would start our careers with Rothschild. Due to the access to all levels of employees, we were able to get a good sense of what a complete career path at Rothschild would look like. A lot of individuals seem to have had an extremely long tenure at the company (20+ years) which really spoke to the quality of the company.

As Rothschild has a very specific culture with the family background and the advisory model, they were very keen to showcase this to us. They really succeeded at this as well. A lot of interns, including myself were very impressed and convinced by the benefits of the model. For those that aren't aware: Rothschild does not do underwriting and so solely sells its advice on whatever they choose to do.

The content was extremely helpful in deciding the career path. Due to the access to all levels of employees, we were able to get a good sense of what a complete career path at Rothschild would look like. A lot of individuals seem to have had an extremely long tenure at the company (20+ years) which really spoke to the quality of the company.

All travel and meal expenses were reimbursed. What was annoying was that we had to book our hotels ourselves which meant that this was quite a substantial upfront cost for a student.

There were ample opportunities to network and meet employees. We had lunches with directors and analysts and got to work shadow individuals in the company as well.

The networking events were great and well spaced out. There was always a good mix between employees and us and a nice pattern of employees going to multiple sessions. This meant we were able to build a bit more substantial connections with them. As said before, everyone was extremely open and willing to talk to us.

We didn't just get to find out about employee activities, but we actually got to help in some community work. The task was to help at a centre for HIV positive children. This did not seem forced at all and it was a lot of fun to see HR and the fellow interns in a non-office environment. The project also made us feel quite warm and fuzzy.

The Insight is definitely something I would recommend to a friend. The friendly and open culture coupled with the advisory-only model meant that it is an extremely attractive place to work at. There is no face-time culture (you have to stay in the office until your boss leaves), from what we could gather.