Trading and Sales Intern (Structured Products and Credit) Review

I found my summer at MUFG to be both challenging and enjoyable. On a daily basis I was given the opportunity to involve myself in a variety of ways on the trading floor by shadowing across different desks or working on complex and impactful work with my own team. For example, some of my tasks involved generating trade ideas or producing daily commentaries, which were distributed throughout the trading floor.

I was often invited out for drinks and other social events with my team, which allowed me to integrate myself into the team and feel like I was valued. All my team members were very approachable and often checked on me to see how I was enjoying my time during the internship.

During my internship I was regularly given both formal and informal feedback about my work and what areas I could improve. All the managers I encountered at MUFG were very approachable and willing to give me advice on my work or any other career related questions I had. In addition, throughout the internship program, a variety of meetings and events were set up so that interns could interact with senior management.

I was quite busy with work on a daily basis, however it was very manageable. There were usually a couple hours throughout the day that I wasn’t doing any work, which allowed me to shadow on other desk to gain more insight and greater exposure within the business. This was also really important for my career development, as I was able to network on a daily basis.

I was given responsibility from very early on during my time on the trading floor. I was asked to create tools that some of my team members would use on a daily basis for their trades. This was really important for me, as I saw that some of my work was impactful and wasn’t just “paper-pushing”.

In my opinion, my academic studies have provided me with a theoretical framework of thinking in economic terms; it was only once I was able to apply this method of thinking in a practical situation like this internship, that I truly understood a lot of the academic concepts I had studied.

As one could expect, the atmosphere on the trading floor was quite hectic at times. However once markets closed or were quiet, I noticed that people were very approachable and willing to help me with any problem/questions I had. The summer is also a great time for an internship, as markets are usually quieter, allowing for more focus on the interns.

The programme was well organised. We were able to rotate between two teams on the trading floor for 5 and 4 weeks. I appreciated a diversity of different activities away from my desk, which included learning sessions on presentation skills, networking events, and social events with interns and other work colleagues.

Throughout the internship, interns were invited to a variety of different training session which discussed presentation skills, networking, and general career advice. At the beginning of the internship we were given excel, bloomberg, and training in financial concepts. All of these skills allowed me to be more successful at my desk and hopefully later in my career.

This internship provides the opportunity to convert to a fulltime graduate role upon graduation for 2nd year students or direct transfer to this year’s analyst program for students that had already graduated. These positions are available depending on business needs. My advice for prospective interns is to carefully research which banks are hiring for your desired team (can be done by reading FT/Bloomberg articles or understanding business and market dynamics) and apply accordingly.

As a result of all the social events planned throughout the internship program, the intern class grew very close together. We often went out for drinks together after work or on the weekend. Events were often independently organised by the interns for everyone to get together and unwind after a day of work.

As one can assume, living in London can be very expensive. However many interns were able to find relatively cheap accommodation by looking online for spare rooms that could be rented over the summer. Costs associated with socializing, such as bars and transport, were reasonable as we often tried to find the cheapest choice.

The intern class often went out together on the weekend to a variety of different clubs and bars. Everyone had a really good time and enjoyed themselves. These locations were all very close and relatively cheap using student discounts. We were also able to find restaurants that could accommodate large groups and fit everyone budget.

MUFG runs a community service program that interns were able to participate in. As a group we went to a farm and did some community service, by doing maintenance work and assisting the farmers in their daily activities. This not only helped out the community but brought the internship class closer together as well. One of my teams on the trading floor also invited me to play basketball with them every Friday during lunch.