Summer Analyst Review

I liked it a lot. The program included a lot of sessions to navigate the culture of the firm, moreover, there was a strong emphasis on learning. It was a great opportunity to do a deep dive into topics that are only marginally tackled in a university setting. The online setting changed a bit what I was expecting out of this internship but I feel that the program was structured in a way that for a large part minimized the downside of working from home.

The online setting made a bit difficult to connect with colleagues. There is no way around the fact that talking on the phone is not the same as talking face to face. Despite that, I found a lot of support in my team. Most of the interaction was through chat and phone. Again, this was only the normality for this COVID period as I was told that in other year was different. If asked they gave very useful feedback.

I had an amazing experience with my supervisor. The instructions from him on my project were both clear both left a lot of room for creativity and independence. There was a lot of communication between us and progress was checked and new objectives were established as time went by. I would say that his expectations were dynamically set, and in this way, I managed to have an even amount of work during my internship. Recommended.

I was pretty busy, but it was never overwhelming. Having a lot of independence when working on my project so I was able to plan out the day based on meetings and events, working on my tasks in my spare time. The days always passed very fast, which is a positive in the sense that it is not too hard, but at the same time you always end up wishing that there was more time to read the research or speak with people in the firm.

I was given a great extend of autonomy when working on my project. Of course, there was an idea of the final product that I would have had to deliver, but many decisions on how to reach the desired result were left to me. The responsibility is not concerning the day to day business but I would say is more on the side of managing your project, working hours and how you can organize your day.

Many of the skills that I developed working with the team I feel built on my pre-existing knowledge, specializing more on certain applications of it. I feel that the time spent researching new topics was a great investment and I will definitely need to use it in the future. This experience also showed me the areas in which I was weaker or slower and thanks to this knowledge I can now work to improve them.

The general atmosphere was very positive. There was a lot of enthusiasm from the other interns and at the same time to the company was very organized. Not being able to go to the office given the restriction put in place by the government and the company is difficult to give an opinion on the atmosphere. At home, it was perceived as a very professional and organized place, the rest would only be speculation on my part.

Concerning how well organized was the overall work placement or internship was set up I would say that it was really well organized. Given the COVID situation, I feel like the company was very quick in setting up a really good program with very little time. I found that there were sometimes some technical problems due to technology but at the same time I feel like it is normal and this problem always occurs regardless.

Concerning the extent to which the company invested in me in terms of personal training and development, I would have to say that I am very satisfied. A lot of courses and materials were prepared and used to give to the interns a good preparation in the short time span of the internship. I found the program put in place very valid and well organized. Going forward I know that the teams invest a lot in the formation of junior members.

I would say that future employment prospects within the organization look very appealing. The company seems to invest a lot in internal growth and I met many people in senior positions that started with the bank with the same summer program. Moreover, the company culture is very inclusive and really allows individuals to thrive and grow within. Concerning how are future employment prospects within the organization to me personally, I would say great and I've heard of many people receiving offers.

On whether there was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students or colleagues I would say yes. There was a lot of friendly zoom chat and enthusiasm concerning the internship. At the same time with the program being online it was impossible for us to connect face to face and go out together as it is usually a big part of the summer experience. I would say that this is one of the aspect that suffered the most.

The cost of living and socializing in Paris is substantial. Prices are similar to London and other big cities and it is quite difficult to find a cheap apartment. A beer goes at around 6 euros in a bar and dinner I would say it is about 25 euros. Housing is the biggest expense by far and finding a good roommate to share expenses would be a good idea. A studio apartment depending on the area goes at about 1500 - 1000 euro.

Concerning whether there was Nightlife in the area I worked the answer is quite easy: there was no nightlife. In this period with a global pandemic looming, clubs were closed in France and only a few rooftops were allowed to open. A lot of bars were open and also restaurants and that made up for the lack of other types of entertainment. I am sure that in normal times Paris would offer more opportunities to go out.

On whether there Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work I would say it depends. You are always free to do sport after work, I personally loved to go for a run before dinner in order to clear my mind from stress and think more clearly about what needs to be done and what I did during the days. Other activities were clearly limited by the social distancing rules put in place.