Summer analyst Review

The first week of the program (held virtually) consisted of technical training, such as Excel, aswell as developing our soft skills in small workshops. The remaining 9 weeks were spent with a team within Global Advisory. I was staffed on both live deals and pitches, allowing me to gain a high level of exposure to my teams work. My main role was to support the deal team's, as well as updating several widely-used databases.

Prior to my internship, my excel skills were practically non-existent however over the 10 weeks they have developed substantially- a result of the excel training we were given, and the technical work I was regularly tasked with. The internship has also helped to develop my presentation skills, and my ability to ask well-structured, clear questions - crucial when attending project calls and working to tight, pressured deadlines. Finally, the steep learning curve provided at R&Co has enabled me to capitalize on my time with the team, and I have greatly expanded my technical knowledge.

I was given a much higher level of responsibility within my team than I was anticipating. Despite the fact that this was my first experience within Investment Banking, I was entrusted with producing research, graphs and whole slides that were incorporated into the pitch books, or even sent directly to the client. Although this did bring a certain level of stress, it enabled me to really experience the day-to-day tasks of an analyst, and it was very rewarding/exciting to be so involved in the projects.

2 weeks prior to the beginning of the internship, I was put in contact with my 'buddy' on my team. They were able to answer any questions I had regarding preparation for the internship, and helped me feel a lot less nervous about joining the team. Throughout the internship I had regular check-ins with my team leaders, to check that my work load was sufficient/sustainable. The mid-review was also very useful, and allowed me to target specific weaknesses to focus on in the second half of the internship. I also felt very supported by the juniors within my team, who always took the time to walk my through unfamiliar tasks/processes.

Within my team, and across the firm, the culture felt very collegiate, friendly and supportive. Despite Covid making the office quieter than usual, my team were still very forthcoming with arranging drinks and coffee chats to get to know each other on a personal level. I was taken out for several lunches/team drinks which helped me form good working-relationships and were definitely one of the highlights of the Summer! It's definitely a hardworking culture, and the hours are long, but at the same time the team seemed conscious of not exhausting their interns!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the ten weeks I spent at Rothschild & Co. The other interns were really nice and friendly, and we formed a good friendship group where we held many social events on the weekends/after work. I also got along very well with my team, and enjoyed working with them to produce a high standard of work. I enjoyed the challenge that the steep learning curve brought, and even though the work was very stressful at times- the end result was always rewarding.

Yes

My biggest tip would be too definitely not be afraid to ask questions!! In the first half of my internship I was very consicous of not disturbing my team members too much (who were very busy), or of asking stupid questions. However, as the weeks went on i learnt that the team were more than happy to answer any questions I had - and would much rather I ask lots of questions and fully understand the task at hand, than not bother them at all and go down a rabbit hole.