Spring Intern - Global Advisory Review

I very much enjoyed the spring program, as I was able to learn about all the different divisions at Rothschild & Co, speaking to business people from every area of the bank. Not only that, but learning about the history of the firm was also very interesting. We also had the chance to work in groups for multiple team projects, which made the week as a whole very well-rounded and enjoyable, despite the virtual environment.

Despite being a spring intern for just a handful of days, I felt that Rothschild understands the importance of Spring Interns, in terms of recruitment down the line. As a result, they made sure we learned about all the business divisions well, and also got us to participate in a large business case, with an M&A activity. Of course I was directly not involved with business Rothschild was doing, but I did have the chance to understand the business well, and was valued as a Spring Intern.

We received a lot of support throughout the week. Whether that be from HR staff, who were always ready to respond to questions, whether that be on BlueJeans Calls or via emails. Despite the insight being virtual, we were accommodated for very well. Not only that, but our virtual buddies were also of a lot of help to us, in understanding the M&A task we were set, and we were able to utilise all these sources to do a good job on the internship.

As I am currently pursuing a degree in Economics, learning more about the financial industry and how Rothschild as an Investment Bank was very useful for me in terms of a career path, and if I feel the field is suitable for me. With direct correlation to my degree, I am confident that I will be able to tackle the Finance modules I am pursuing alongside my studies well with help from the technicalities involved in financial modelling, which I received during the Spring Week.

Despite being virtual and only a week long, the insight was structured very well. There was a great balance of talks/lectures about Rothschild & Co, with the opportunity to ask questions too. Not only that, we had the chance to utilise the virtual platform for our own tasks, which were very useful. Multiple team-working tasks allowed the cohort to get to know each other well too, overall summarising a very well structured program to understand more about the investment banking industry.

The staff at Rothschild & Co did a superb job in creating a very friendly atmosphere during the spring week. I was able to comfortably interact HR staff with any concerns or questions, as well as any business people in the global advisory division for example. The cohort were also well-natured, and there was no element of competition or tarnishing other's work whatsoever, even though we were competing for the same summer internship spots following on from the spring week. This just represents how nice the culture at Rothschild & Co really is.

The firm brought in external educators to train and develop our understanding of the financial industry further. Not only did we learn more about how investment banks are structured and work, as well as the shape of the industry, but we were also taught technical financial modelling techniques, which are essential to a job in the industry. The teamworking tasks and group presentation also further improved our soft skills, overall highlighting a very rewarding program.

After completing the spring week program at Rothschild & Co, I know have a very good idea of what a job with them would involve. This is down to the informative presentation from all the teams and presenters from the firm, but also the honest responses we had in networking and question and answer sessions from people at the firm too. The culture is clearly great, and everyone is very transparent about what happens at the firm too.

I personally really admire the culture at Rothschild & Co after the spring week. Not only do I have a better appreciation of the firm's ethos and values now, but I also understand the historical importance of the Rothschild family, and how that correlates to how the firm does business even today. There is a clear motivation to be the best in the industry, which Rothschild are in many areas. I very much loved learning about all of this, and can picture myself at the firm.

I had a reasonable idea of what a job as an Investment Banker involved, and how the industry is shaped before the insight. However, I know have a complete comprehensive understanding after the spring week program about the industry. Ranging from how Rothschild & Co stands out, all the way too how the every day person is impacted by investment banking. I received great career advice, and I am very likely to pursue a career further in this industry.

As the experience was virtual, this was not an issue.

Despite the virtual environment, there were several opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the company. I was able to find out much more about the work they do and receive an honest account of what working at Rothschild is really like. Not only that, but I was also able to reach out to the people that I met after the program, and even organised calls with them to discuss the work they do and the industry further.

The networking/ social event opportunities were quite good in my opinion, as we were split into smaller groups so that we had closer contact to business people. Rothschild accommodated us quite well in terms of how many business people there were per group. This solid ratio created a great environment to network and socialise, not just with the people at the firm, but also with other students on the spring program. This was very well done.

The staff from the Human Resources department provided us a lot of insights into all the different activities, whether they be charitable, sport-based or performance/music based, people at Rothschild can get involved with. As an active sportsperson myself, I really appreciated this, and was also very happy at how there is a gym in the office itself. Not only that, but knowing that Rothschild cares about their employees outside of work, really shows how great the firm is.

I think this is probably one of the best spring insight programs out there. The depth at which you are allowed to learn about the industry and the personalised contact you can have with people at the firm, regardless of seniority, really shows how much an effort Rothschild put in organising such an engaging programme. They really do invest in their spring interns, as they envision them as workers at the firm in the future.