Summer Analyst Review

I have really enjoyed and valued my time at Nomura. This might largely be attributed to a supportive team environment and a steep learning curve, aiding both personal and professional development. The 10-week internship offers complete immersion into investment banking, and stands as invaluable for anyone wishing to explore a potential career in this industry.

Throughout the internship, I found my colleagues to be extremely supportive and helpful. I have been pleasantly surprised with the level of exposure in the team, enabling me to work directly with both junior and senior team members. This positive team environment was supported by a strong social element; I found this to be really important in contributing towards my summer experience.

Overall, my team provided a good-level of support and guidance throughout, and were always willing to answer any questions. This willingness to help was particularly important to me, given a lack of prior experience in finance. Whilst for any task set, a certain degree of knowledge is assumed, help is always provided where necessary.

Due to the nature of the industry and the time of year, my work on a day-to-day basis varied significantly. This meant at points of the internship I was extremely busy, whilst at other times it was much quieter and therefore my workload was less intense.

Whilst the level of responsibility attributed largely depends on whom you are working with, in general I was given more responsibility as the internship progressed. This was particularly the case when working directly with senior team members, involving more client interaction and independent tasks.

The skills developed across the internship, particularly in the intern project, will be extremely useful in my future career. Specific skills developed span from competency in excel and power point to a greater understanding financial modelling and analysis. As my degree is not finance-related, the skills I have learnt will not be directly transferred but rather prove indirectly beneficial; for example, the development of analytical and time management skills will assist me in my studies.

Given the industry, nature of work and longer hours, the general atmosphere in the office is of course, relatively serious. This lends itself to a focused and quieter office, compounded by the lack of collaborative working spaces. Having said this, the atmosphere remains friendly and open.

The internship is very well organised with a week of training at the beginning and numerous intern events throughout; these are both professional and social in nature.

Nomura invests in its interns through the training week, and the continuous guidance provided throughout the internship. On top of this, HR organise numerous development sessions varying from public speaking and cultural awareness workshops to individual and group presentations.

Nomura converts a high percentage of interns, offering them a graduate job at the end of the internship.

Yes, as there is a large intern class, the social scene amongst interns is very active. This is supported by a number of events within teams and HR-organised intern events.

London's cost of living is generally very high.

Within The City, there are lots of bars and pubs.

There were a number of opportunities to socialise with both our teams and other interns, on an informal and formal basis.