Compliance Summer Analyst Review

It was definitely a lot of work, and there were times I wished I was on holiday somewhere hot like a lot of my friends, but the work was genuinely interesting and stimulating, and it was well worth it to get such a good insight into the industry.

They all seemed genuinely grateful for the work I did, and gave really good feedback about what I was doing well as well as what I could improve on. The feedback system is structured such that you get one review half way through and one at the end which means you get given a lot of time to work on your improvement areas and hopefully learn from them by the end of the internship.

They have a really good buddy system which is quite informal, meaning you can ask them literally anything about GS even if it's really stupid like how does the canteen payment system work. Then there are mentors who give you more career-orented advice, as well as how to get the most out of the internship. Both my managers were also super approachable, and I definitely felt I could ask them whenever I wasn't sure about something. The HCM department are also very good at listening to concerns/questions that you may have about the internship.

Compliance is definitely one of the less intense departments, but even then I was working 10+ hour days. I always had something to do, and never ever felt bored. If you like a high pressure but rewarding environment the Goldman is definitely a good place to work. Compliance also has a good balance I think between being intense but also having a good work life balance compared to say IBD.

Was given a lot of responsibility from the start, and was allowed to work on projects which clearly had an impact on the business. You're definitely made to feel like an actual employee and not just an intern, meaning you get real work not just the boring things nobody else wants to do.

Working in compliance was not really that relevant to my degree (economics), however working in such a high-pressured environment definitely makes uni work seem easier. Great preparation entering employment after graduation too.

Hard working but also relaxed. Most of my co workers were quite young, meaning you could have fun as well as relate to them. Don't believe the horror stories about having to stare at a blank screen just to get face time - my managers wanted me to work hard but they also understand that it's quality not quantity, and there wasn't any pressure to be the last one to leave or anything like that.

Very well organised internship - the internship pool in London is very big (around 400), meaning they put a lot of effort into the programme. A lot of speaker and networking events were put on, as well as social events for the interns. They also have a really good rotational structure - you spend 5 weeks in two departments, and they usually try to put you in very different ones to give you a good taste of what it's like to work there as well as let you build up a good network across the bank.

Was given a lot of training specific to compliance, such as how to use their systems as well as which financial regulations were relevant to which departments. It's also really good to get experience of working in a professional environment.

Good - got an offer

The company did put on a few events, but not as many as I had anticipated. With 400 interns however there's definitely a lively social scene.

London, so very expensive. Transport, accommodation and food are all much more expensive than the rest of the country. They pay you well and give you a relocation grant so you won't end up having to beg from your parents to cover your living expenses like you would with some internships. Also try to find accommodation early - the cheapest student hall type places fill ip pretty quick.

Pub just across the road which is really good, loads of nice bars in the area as well. Definitely an advantage to being in the City as opposed to Carary Wharf - the area actually feels lived in and has a lot of amenities as well as character. Quite expensive though, so make friends with people who went to Uni in London to find out about the cheap places. Tbh you don't have to wander far from the office to find cheap drinking places :)

They have a community volunteering day where all the interns take a day off to work on a project in London. We were dredging a river and making is a more suitable habitat for fish which was quite fun