Financial Controller Review

Working in the Finance department at Nomura, I got the chance to experience all areas of the floor whilst learning in detail all about my team. The work was tough at times, but the challenge made it enjoyable. Seeing an overview of the whole bank gave me a great understanding of the industry which also increased my job satisfaction.

My team were highly welcoming right from day one. They were very open and welcome to me joining and took me under their wing to teach me all they know. My manager was fairly laid back, but always on hand for me to ask questions. Even those I did not work with directly were keen and eager to teach me lots, and I taught them some things towards the end of my time as well. We went out for socials as a team several times throughout the year.

My whole team was always on hand if I had any questions or queries. I was given lots of training opportunities throughout the year and always encouraged to learn new things where possible. Quarterly reviews helped to show me where I needed to progress further.

Working in Financial Reporting, there was a certain amount of seasonality. At month and quarter end, we would be very busy and often work a little later than usual. However, at the end of the month things were often a little quiet and filling your day became a tricky task.

I was given a lot of responsibility from day one of my placement. Many of my tasks fed directly into the monthly reporting, so if I wasn't doing it our reporting would be wrong. At year end, I was placed in charge of the main BS and P&L reporting for the whole bank - a huge challenge which I thoroughly enjoyed!

There are many things about the business world that can only be learnt from on-the-job experience. Responding to e-mails in a professional manner, how to get involved at meetings and dealing with an outsource team in India are great skills that could only be learnt through work placement. The overview I received of the whole bank has given me far better understanding of the theory taught at university.

Every day, the whole team said good morning to me as I came in and I would often spend quite some time discussing everyone's evenings - a great start to the day! Some of the conversations we had throughout the day were hilarious and we were never too busy to crack a joke or two. During big sports events, we would often watch them whilst we worked which gave extra commentary.

The initial induction and training was very well organised with a professional company brought in to teach us all about financial markets. Throughout the first couple of months, various training sessions were put on to further our industry knowledge. Past the time of the summer interns leaving, however, these events were cut down somewhat which was a shame. However, there was still the occasional social (paid for by work) which were always great fun!

Nomura's attitude is that they do not expect us to bring added value as interns or grads - they need to invest time and money in us so that we can go on to become managers and leaders of the future. If you can do all they ask and go one step further, adding value to your team, then you'll make a great impression! Take on board every training opportunity there is (there were a lot) and you'll do great!

There are no guaranteed jobs at Nomura anymore, but if you make a good impression they will bring you back for one last interview before they decide. There are a certain number of grad roles every year and they very much prefer to take people who have interned with them before - I'm reasonably confident.

Some of my fellow interns have now gone on to become my best friends, which shows what a strong bond we had. We would often have lunch together in the canteen or outside and met up outside of work hours a fair bit. We even spent New Years together!

London is expensive wherever you go, and certainly in Camden where I was living it was somewhat pricey. Having said that, your managers will usually pay for you on nights out and you can still live a good life and save up a lot of money at the same time. Learn from London students about howto save a few pounds here and there.

Nomura is in the heart of the city where all the best bars and nightclubs are. I was a particular fan of the B@1 chain of cocktail bars who do great happy hour deals. Abacus nightclub was also a frequent hot spot. Nomura has its own bar in the ground floor of its building, facing out on the river which anyone can go along to.

Everything goes on in London, you just have to do a bit of research to find out when and where (and may need to catch a bus to get there). I would often go to the gym two nights a week and was busy the other three nights. Weekends are yours to enjoy, and there is always loads going on in the Leicester Square/Covent Garden/Trafalgar Square area.