
This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
-
About You
-
The Company
-
Everything Else
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy the insight?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued during your time at the company or firm?
- 3. How much guidance/support did you receive during the insight?
- 4. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and information you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 5. How well structured was the insight?
- 6. How was the general atmosphere during your insight?
- 7. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 8. To what extent did the insight help you to understand what it would be like to have a full time role with the company or firm?
- 9. How much did the insight help you in understanding the company culture?
- 10. How valuable was the content in helping you to decide on your future career path?
- 11. Were you paid or reimbursed adequately for this experience?
- 12. Were there opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the company or firm?
- 13. How were the networking/ social event opportunities?
- 14. Did you find out about activities that employees can get involved in outside of work?
- 15. Would you recommend this insight to a friend?
About You
I definitely enjoyed this very engaging experience. Perhaps the main component was the company culture, characterized by a very flat hierarchy and approachable professionals (regardless of level of seniority). The learning curve was extremely steep, not only from a technical perspective but also through hands-on work with the project and overall integration with the firm.
At no point did I feel underestimated, underappreciated or scrutinized. From junior BAs to senior VPs, every person I approached for advice or a general catch-up kindly accepted my invitation. I was given an employee pass and given access to everyday benefits for employees, such as the company's gym classes - this made me feel like GS invested a lot of resources throughout my time here.
This was slightly more open ended. A lot of the feedback I received throughout the two weeks was initiated by myself through informal catch-ups with the main recruiter for our division. Also certain aspects, such as networking with employees in between calendar appointments were left entirely to us. This is only fair, but it did feel slightly overwhelming initially.
Since I come from a degree background which is quite disjoint from the financial industry, perhaps none of the skills I obtained throughout these two weeks will be directly applicable to my studies. However, I obtained invaluable networking experience, as well as a better sense of team collaboration and time management due to the overwhelming schedule. This should be applicable whatever my future path may be.
The Company
Extremely well planned. It felt as if no minute of the day was wasted or without a purpose. While the calendar was not plotted out up until the last minute, it was almost implied that something should be done during the intervals, for example working on the group project or scheduling a networking catch-up with employees. All the teach-ins, roundtables and presentations went extremely smoothly.
Much better than expected. Initially, all the interns were understandably shy and a bit scared but after settling into divisions everybody seemed a lot more upbeat. All the employees were very approachable and there was a lot of friendly interaction among interns as opposed to an unhealthy sense of competition.
It definitely invested a lot of resources. GS contracted an external educational vendor who was responsible for teaching us the basics of accounting and methods of company valuation. In addition to this, we had one or two daily teach-ins with the sub-teams of Global Investment Research covering the basics of various sectors.
To a great extent, but this is perhaps one of the few areas with room for improvement. Namely, we were assigned on a project which we were told would be used by the firm, although this greatly differed from what analysts told their daily roles entailed. We did however receive training which directly corresponds to what GIR does.
To a great extent. Firstly, the interaction with the junior BAs ensured us that young employees are not only the best and brightest, but also extremely friendly and collaborative. During roundtable discussions with partners, we found out how Goldman Sachs has transformed since the financial crisis in terms of culture and conduct.
Extremely valuable. Firstly, the Global Investment Research department at GS is perhaps the broadest out of all in terms of the scope of stocks, techniques, and sectors covered. Hence interning at GIR gave an amazing overview of the financial services industry. The project work and the technical training also gave us a great taste of what the necessary skills are and whether or not this is the right fit for us.
Everything Else
Since I flew in from abroad for this experience, my flight and bus from the airport were fully reimbursed. Also, I was paid 400 pounds per week for this internship. Finally, I was provided with suitable hotel accommodation which ran from the first day of the program up until the very end.
There were ample opportunities each and every day. On the fourth day of the internship, we had a firmwide networking event with junior analysts from different divisions, which was followed by casual drinks, food and interactive games. More importantly, the gaps in the calendar allowed ample time to schedule catch-ups with the very friendly employees.
The opportunities were great, although one could easily miss out on them if shy or slow in communication. Namely, all the interns tended to contact the same employees who gave the teach-ins very shortly after their presentations, which created a bit of a crowding-out effect. However, once scheduled the meetings with the employees were very laid back and informative.
Yes. Through the informal meetings with the junior BAs in Global Investment Research, we managed to learn about their hobbies and interests outside of work. On the very first day of the internship, we had an affinity network panel, where members of the LGBT network and the firmwide black network talked about their interaction with the communities outside of working hours.
Most definitely. Firstly, it is by far the most comprehensive introduction to finance on the street due to the longest duration and the fact Goldman Sachs treats its interns as if they were full-time employees. Furthermore, the company's flat hierarchy and the overall culture of friendliness towards interns made integration into the firm almost seamless.
Details
Insight / Vacation Scheme (< 4 Weeks)
London
April 2019