Credit Risk Analyst Review

The 10+ month placement was incredibly insightful into how an Investment Bank operates on a day-to-day basis. With minimal specific financial experience, I believe the training in place is good prior to starting the placement and provided a high-level overview into the sector. I thought the placement was challenging which meant it was also rewarding and it demands you put in hours, effort and interest in order to make the most of your time at Nomura.

Colleagues are at most very welcoming and willing to take time to assist with any queries or interests you may have. The social atmosphere took time to adjust to but there are plenty of opportunities to build strong working relationships. You are valued as part of a team which means you are given the responsibility of a full-time employee.

The guidance given was good and I felt supported if I ever had any issues or I felt uncertain about something. The feedback is regular depending on the team, I would have a one-to-one once a week to pick up on weak areas and try to develop them which is beneficial for long-term development.

The amount of work to do can vary largely day-to-day. With time, you learn a pattern of which days / what time of the year you can expect to be busy and when you can expect a low work load. Also depends on how much work you are willing to take on, if you ask for it you will be given more.

I felt the amount of responsibility given was more than satisfactory, I felt responsible for my own portfolio and any questions would come to me rather than my line manager which was good in a sense that you really owned your own work. The more you can handle, the more responsibility you get which is a good motivator to put effort in.

I study Economics so the skills I have developed during my year are very relevant. I can apply a real-world application of economics to my own theoretical studies. It has also helped decide what to base my final year dissertation on which will be useful in refining the thought process in my fourth year.

The atmosphere is a good balance of work and social. The people are friendly and nice to work with. They will provide good support through the placement and are always more than happy to provide assistance when needed. I would be happy to be able to come back to an office atmosphere like this.

The placement was very organised especially at the start. There were plenty of events arranged and meet and greet gatherings to bring the interns together and introduce them to the wider teams. There was also plenty of training. I would say the only improvement would be to have more regular catch-ups with HR.

In terms of personal development, they encourage you to be confident, ask questions and be fluent which are good life styles to work on. The training can often come on the job, there is plenty of room the make mistakes and learn from them so these are not made again in the future.

I would be happy to come back to Nomura, I really enjoy the atmosphere and I think the people are smart, motivating and encouraging to work hard and see the benefits. I would like to try different roles within the company and test where works best for me in the future.

The social scene is encouraged with plenty of events organised including paid for drinks, boat parties and mid-year socials which are always fun to go to. Throughout the year, it can be difficult to maintain this if your hours don't permit but there are opportunities to organise events outside of working hours.

The area I lived in is expensive as is London as a whole to live in. Many people commute in from home which is a better idea as you can save a lot of money. Rent can take up a large proportion of rent and general living is also expensive.

Not much to comment on as the surrounding area is quite limited in terms of bars and restaurants. There are a few nice bars which are a little expensive but along the river to they are very pleasant to go for a drink in after work or in the summer time.

There are lots of opportunities, Nomura promotes a lot of good events such as music lessons, choir and charity events which gain a lot of interest and allow you to meet new people and be involved with something you have not tried before. I would say Nomura is a good company for this.