Investment Banking Summer Analyst Review

I really enjoyed the experience. The firm managed to produce a well organised internship although it was virtual and of a shorter length. Still, the training was coherent and allowed us to gain significant insight into the sector and to the work that we would be doing. The time on the desk was valuable and really allowed us to learn a lot, and I think interns would have been given more work if the internship was longer as we were given time to prove our abilities.

The team was incredibly welcoming and really went out of it's way to help myself and the other interns. We were included in the weekly after-work drinks that were now being conducted virtually, and we all felt included and as part of the team. It was easy too, the team organised within themselves who would be explaining which part of the team products each week, and also offering us extensive feedback on work. Awesome stuff.

Management and supervisor support was great as well. They included us, made sure to reach out and involved us in the process. Management is obviously busier than an intern, so them not being able to commit 100% of their time to us is understandable and I think it was well-managed.

During the initial weeks, training period was a perfect balance. As the preparation of the project were underway, I think the balance was great as well. The preparation for the project which usually takes 10 weeks was done in 3 weeks, so the majority if not all of your time was focused on that while working from home. It was just towards the final few days where we were just waiting around for comments or waiting to be given an additional task.

This is a difficult question to answer since of course we were all interns, on top of doing it virtually. I think the work and responsibility we were given was fair. It was nothing too serious that we could mess up because the juniors would have to focus on that themselves, but it was also not just updating databases or running time-consuming tasks. The mix was great, but also nothing to compare it too. If I could rate N/A, I would.

My degree studies were irrelevant to this internship. The skills I developed throughout my time on the desk areimportant and will be beneficial in the future, there were a lot of small Excel or PowerPoint shortcuts and tricks I didn't know and that will definitely save me time in the future. The training from FE was brilliant and really developed everyones Excel abilities and taught us the basics of financial modelling (DCF, M&A, and LBOs), valuations / trading comps, and of course also the basic accounting fundamentals.

Again, almost difficult or impossible to answer. Virtually, the office environment and team environment seemed good. Everyone was nice and got along well, so that's definitely a positive sign. The only time I saw the office or walked around the floor was during the assessment center. During that time it seemed like a fun and dynamic place to be, so I'll base my answer on what I saw and experienced during my AC and what it was like virtually.

It was really excellent. Honestly. The HR team managed to create a smooth and easy to follow plan for the virtual internship for the summer, and had the details planned and sent to us before we started. We all knew where we were meant to be and when, and there was enough communication to know ahead of time. Bringing in other providers was definitely useful as well, and it came across like HR knew exactly what they were doing.

They offered us extensive FE training which is beneficial and definitely not too cheap, so that was a huge benefit and surprise to learn so much in such a short period of time. Us interns also got access to various accounts (Bloomberg, Dealogic, FactSet) which other interns at other banks definitely did not so that was a huge benefit to experience that and get to know all the applications. We also have access to Felix (from FE) for up to 3 months after the training to learn on our own.

Future employment prospects within the organisation are great, everyone is super nice and generally seniors join and stay for a long time which shows that they are well taken care of and enjoy the work. Junior wise, there is the usual investment banking turn-over which is to be expected, but it seems like people generally stay on longer and enjoy to work and make a career with Nomura which is definitely a positive sign for us.

The other interns were all super nice and smart, and definitely a variety of Universities and degrees. The mix of nationalities (most from Europe) was great to learn about everyone's life and experiences so far. Also this meant we had a larger age group than other peers which was quite nice so that there was more diversity in that aspect. I think everyone got along well and it was nice to meet everyone during the training.

London is a HCOL city so there's nothing unusual about that, most things are to be expected. Speaking to juniors on my team there are expenses that you might forget or not account for (tube or council tax) that can add up quickly. Otherwise, corona permitting, the socialising in London is definitely a huge benefit and definitely accounts for some great times. Also, apparently the canteen in the office is really great and offers cheaper food than outside.

Unable to answer this question properly so leaving it as a 5/10. Everyone was working from home across Europe / different time-zones so there was no nightlife. Also, the whole pandemic shut down all pubs and clubs anyway so even if people were in the same city there was no real way to meet in that way after work. However, I did learn that there is a certain affection for Tonteria for a night-out, which is definitely a positive.

Again, unable to answer this question properly so leaving it as a 5/10. Everyone was working from home across Europe / different time-zones so there was no nightlife. Clubs and activities that would have otherwised happen weren't available or allowed to happen because of the pandemic. I know there's two football teams, a climbing club, a book reading club. Sounds like they have something for everyone and that there's a lot that could be done.