Investment Banking Intern Review

I really enjoyed my internship because it gave me a valuable opportunity to learn first-hand about the industry and the role of the investment banking division. I was pleasantly surprised that I was given a lot of responsibility from the start which was fantastic and this motivated me and gave me a sense of importance even as an intern.

I felt valued by my colleagues because I was given the same work as an analyst and the responsibility was fantastic. During busy hours or days, it meant that analysts also needed the interns' help with the work and whenever we had questions, everyone on the floor was cooperative and willing to help us too.

Interns are expected to be proactive and ask for work when we are available. The manager staffed us on work otherwise but we were encouraged to liaise with colleagues and seek work rather than expect it to come to us. I received some feedback on performance from my manager but generally, my manager was willing to give me guidance or advice about anything.

The workload fluctuated. On some days, I would find myself with several piece of work due for different people with tight deadlines whilst on other days, I had little to do and completed some online training or admin work. Doing an internship over the summer means that generally, the workload is significantly less than at other times in the year.

I was given a lot of responsibility which was pleasantly surprising. This meant that I was doing exactly what a typical analyst would do in their first few years and gave me a true representation of what it would be like to work in the investment bank as a graduate.

The atmosphere in the office was very supportive with everyone willing to speak to me and teach me anything. Colleagues were always willing to explain what they were doing and happy to let me help them. Generally, it was an encouraging and friendly workplace and I got along with a lot of people on the floor.

The atmosphere in the office was very supportive with everyone willing to speak to me and teach me anything. Colleagues were always willing to explain what they were doing and happy to let me help them. Generally, it was an encouraging and friendly workplace and I got along with a lot of people on the floor.

The internship was well-organised by HR. There were regular opportunities to meet up with other interns and HR for discussions and constant communication streams. The training week at the beginning of the internship was very helpful. In terms of the desk work, it was less structured which is expected but still fine. There could have been a better welcome to the team on the desk, however.

There was sufficient training in the first week which was cross-divisional and division specific. This was necessary and useful as everyone had different backgrounds and level of experience in investment banking. There were also later sessions on personal skills development such as presentation skills which was very useful so the company definitely invested well in us.

The future employment prospects are appealing given that we received a short experience of it during the internship and many of the analysts were recent graduates. There are also a lot of people at Deutsche Bank who have remained with the firm for a good number of years (7+) and have great experiences and things to say about the firm. The culture is great, the responsibility is great and the firm is keen on attracting new talent so the prospects are appealing.

As interns, we would often socialise together and enjoyed each other’s company outside of work. This was somewhat encouraged by HR at the start of the internship with a social evening (bowling and dinner) and even during the training week when we all got to know each other well. From then on, however, it was up to us to meet each other so it would have been great to have more organised social events.

There was an organised Corporate Social Responsibility day for all interns. This is also a bank-wide initiative where employees are encouraged to volunteer in the community for a day. It was really enjoyable and a great opportunity to help others outside of work. Unfortunately, however, the demands of the job mean that the CSR day is rarely taken by employees.