Summer Associate Review

I had a thoroughly satisfying experience. Staff got me involved in real work from the first day, and took times out of their busy schedules to explain and teach. Protected working hours and a respect for our time ensured that the lifestyle during the internship was demanding but enjoyable.

Staff always maintained a pleasant attitude and disposition, helping nuture a sense of belonging throughout the internship. The work we did was routinely used in live projects, and we were given feedback on what we had done. Staff expect you to learn quickly, but reward doing so with increasingly complex tasks that are used and clearly valued by the teams.

BofAML creates a layered structure of supervisors, mentors and buddies who are available for structured and informal support throughout the process. These roles are shared amongst staff so that nobody has responsibility for more than a few Interns, which allows each of them to really engage with the Interns that they're supporting.

There was never a dull moment. The staffing system ensures that everyone has plenty of work to do, and allows flexibility in the allocation of specific projects to Interns' preferences and experience. Whilst at work we were very busy; the department is highly productive and demands the same of its Interns. A strict respect for working hours ensured that these demands never spilt into personal time, and a significant amount of work time was dedicated to networking and socialising.

We were given responsibility in line with our capabilities, always working closely alongside full-time staff who provided supervision and guidance but allowed for proactivity and innovation. As we became more comfortable with the work the supervisors progressively became more hands-off, allowing us to develop a true sense of ownership over the work.

Having come from a background outside of Finance this Internship has been an invaluable training tool. Working in such a highly capable and stimulating environment provides a degree of industry insight that is unparalleled. The focus on Intern training also ensures that we were given a chance to develop and employ our technical skills. This internship truly provides a financial and strategic toolkit that should be invaluable in future endeavours.

It is a serious working environment, in which staff maintain a sense of humour, fun and mutual respect. There is a rewarding degree of socialising amongst colleagues in the bank at large and the specific teams within it, with many people interacting on a social level outside of work; such relationships ensure a thoroughly enjoyable working environment.

One of the true benefits of a structured Internship program as is run at BofAML is the organisation of the experience from start to finish. The entire organisation takes the Internship program very seriously, and we received talks and presentations from all levels of the company from Analyst to MD and even CEO. The organisation of the core work and review component is very clear and concise.

Staff were under explicit instruction to provide individual feedback and development support, which seemed unnecessary as everyone appeared more than happy to do so. A regular Intern Education series was conducted, and an external provider gave one week of technical training at the commencement of the Internship. It is very clear that the firm takes its Interns seriously and invests in them accordingly.

Very appealing. The working environment is enjoyable, the nature of the work is challenging and the terms of full-time employment are very appealing. It is a job for those that like being challenged and like working hard, in an environment that permits a sustainable work-life balance.

The atmosphere amongst the large cohort of Interns was incredibly supportive. The firm is very clear that Interns are in a competition only with themselves, and Interns support each other under the mentality that one does well if all do well. Having a ready set of interesting colleagues and friends made being new to London very enjoyable, and my fellow Interns were the backbone of my social life throughout the placement.

I shared a flat with other students and Interns at other firms, which was reasonable affordable. London is not an overly affordable city but the compensation provided to Interns thoroughly compensates and ensures that we will be much better off following the culmination of the Internship than before

One of the real advantages of working at BofAML is being situated near St Paul's. It is a vibrant part of the professional city with plenty of restaurants, bars and cafes in very close distance. On weekends at late at night when the professional districts are quite it is only a short trip to other areas that remain very lively.

The bank provided a number of opportunities to get involved with sports and art, and protected weekends ensured we could engage with whatever we liked. The Internship does however remain an intense experience and those looking to get the most out of their placement neverless spent the majority of their time either working or relaxing.