Spring Intern Review

I really enjoyed it. I mainly enjoyed meeting people and learning so many new things about investment banking. I was especially lucky with how welcoming and helpful the TMT was to me, and it was a real privilege to be able to talk to pretty much everyone in the team, regardless of seniority.

I definitely felt like people were very welcoming. Almost everyone I bumped into from other teams (e.g. in the kitchen area) welcomed me to sit down with their team and learn more. My team was also very friendly; praised my work when necessary, but also gave me realistic feedback as if I was an analyst on the team.

I did not feel as though my hand was held very much through the programme; given the amount of freedom. Having said that, for me, this was a good thing, as my team were all happy to guide me, give me things to work on, and suggest who to reach out to, to fill up my time.

I think the more valuable skills that I gained from this programme were the transferable skills. I.e., networking, taking initiative, reading people etc. Also, hearing about different people's career paths has been very helpful for me to make my mind up about what I want to do. Whilst there were some technical sessions, I think there could have been more, as there was a fair bit of free time.

There was not much structure to the programme. A lot of the scheduled events were cancelled, and still, not that many of them. People's experienced were shaped by their team, which is unfortunate for those whose teams were not as welcoming/ helpful as mine. I think introducing rotations for IBD, perhaps one sector team and one product team, may be better.

The atmosphere was really good. People were very kind and open with each other. Nomura has created a very good impression of themselves and their work culture. HR has also been very efficient and friendly. There are also a nice number of women working in the firm - it is not too male dominated.

There were some training sessions - more so in the first week - which I found to be quite helpful. People on my team were willing to take the time to explain things to me, which made me feel valued. But again, I think this was down to luck of being in a good team.

It helped so much with this. Especially coming from a non-finance background, it really helped me understand what the job entails. It was also good to have talked to so many different people with different views and opinions on the job, which have helped me shape my own thoughts on it.

The insight programme really helped me understand Nomura's company culture. People are very down to earth, approachable and helpful. It was nice to be sat in a team and witness real dynamics, all of which I found to be very supportive and positive. I found there was a real sense of camaraderie.

It was quite valuable. However, two weeks is still not enough to allow a person to know for sure, but I do not think this should be expected from a spring week. People were encouraging me to explore as many options as possible, before deciding, which is what I plan to do.

The payment was a nice perk, however, the hours were a lot longer than what was stated on the contract, making the pay per hour very low.

I would absolutely recommend this insight to a friend. Especially given that it is for women - it is a great opportunity to meet like-minded women and network. It is also nice that it is 2 weeks as it gives you a better feel for the company's culture, as well as some technical training.