Summer Analyst Review

The rotational nature of the program meant that you got involved in two different teams and on two different projects. This made the internship very enjoyable as you were constantly learning new things and experienced different parts of the business. However, inconsistencies between different parts of the business (e.g. acronyms meaning different things) could lead to some confusing and frustration.

By the end of both rotations I felt like I was fully part of the team. Perhaps at the beginning you may feel like an outsider due to being the new member but this is normal this will clear away soon. Perhaps Deutsche Bank could encourage teams with interns/graduates to have team bonding sessions early on into the rotation - even if its just a trip to the pub!

This differed between my rotations though I would not say that more 'support' is necessarily always better. In one of my rotations my manager was always on hand to explain things and allocate me clear task to do. This made the work enjoyable and relatively relaxed. In the other rotation I received very little guidance, only being given a broad remit with a deadline. Whilst this was a little unnerving, being 'dropped in the deep end' forced me to use my own initiative and interact with colleague around the business to scout for information. This resulting in me having a much broader foundation of knowledge once I left the internship and also a wider network of people from all around the bank. I see the benefit in both styles of management and one is not necessily better than the other.

Both rotations were very busy. One required me to complete a number of daily tasks which had to be done as well as ad hoc work. This mean't there was always something to do. The other rotations was part of a much larger project so there was always something somewhere that needed to be done. I know people who have done internships elsewhere who feel under-utilised and bored - this couldn't be more different to the experience I had. Deutsche Bank should continue this by ensuring that every rotation offered to an intern has sufficient work for them to complete for the entirety of their placement.

Both rotations gave me a great deal of responsibility. One allowed to almost pick the amount of responsibility I required, meaning that over time, as I learnt more about the project, the amount of responsibility I decided to take on increased. The other gave me a tasks that had a real impact on the company and my work would be presented to senior management.

The most valuable skill I built on during my internship was Excel. Excel forms the backbone of the company so when I left I had a much better knowledge of it. This will be invaluable to my degree as it also requires a good understanding of Excel. There was even a short Excel class at the start of the internship which really helped. The other skills I learnt such as presenting, communication skills and team work will also be very useful when completing the remainder of my degree.

The office had a very standard atmosphere - which is too be expected in a bank that carries out such important work. Moreover, some of my work was done in a controlled box which, again, is understandable and appropriate. That said, I certainly would describe the atmosphere as dull as the teams I worked with where very friendly and always on hand to help.

The organisers did a brilliant job of ensuring there were plenty of rotations to go around the interns. They were also on hand to answer your questions and direct you to the relevant people. The buddy/mentor scheme also worked really well. However, the second rotations were not finalised until a lot later than we were initially told which made some people anxious about where they would end up.

We recieved mandatory online training at the beginning of the internship as well as an excel class on the first day. This training helped us to understand more about the work we would be doing. The amount of training and development we were given was appropriate for the time we were there though, of course, more training cannot hurt.

I was offered a full-time graduate role with Deutsche Bank which I have gleefully accepted. The company is focused on bringing in talent and promoting people based on ability and drive rather than purely on the amount of time you have been with the bank. This meritocracy really appeals to me.

Yes, I had social events with my teams as well as extensively with the other interns. At the end of the internship the Bank hired out the Sky Gardens in central London and put of free food and drink for all the interns. This was a very good idea and I would recommend them continuing to do this for years to come. The Sky Gardens did run out of alcohol at one point though, which was a shame.

I lived at home during the internship so had to travel in the train which was expensive - though Deutsche Bank did give all the interns and extra monetary amount on top of our pay for travel/accommodation which adequately covered this expense. The office was based in Canary Wharf which was fairly expensive though there were some cheaper (though still quite expensive) places to socialise if you know where to look.

London is full of pubs and bars and there are many clubs nearby. I was totally satisfied with the nightlife.

There wasn't too much to get involved in outside of work. Usually I would expect there to be sports teams - or at least a 5-a-side football team - but to the best of my knowledge there wasn't much. Deutsche Bank have a art, culture and sports group so they should perhaps look at starting these clubs or advertising them to new-joiners if they do already exist.