Work experience and internships in banking and financial services

An internship in the banking and financial services sector can give you useful experience that may help you get a job.

The most important thing that employers look for in all potential graduate recruits is a genuine interest in the sector, and one way of demonstrating your interest is to gain an internship or work experience during the summer. These internships are aimed at students in their penultimate year of study. Generally they run for eight to ten weeks during the summer, but some organisations also offer shorter ‘taster’ programmes or longer industrial placements. Application deadlines for internships are usually in January or February, so check company websites for closing dates.

An internship or summer job with a financial institution will give you useful experience of working in finance related roles and it shows you working in the real world. It also shows potential employers that you are interested and motivated in working in this sector and it also gives you the opportunity to decide which area of banking and financial services you’d like to work in.

How to get an internship

Check the websites of the larger financial organisations to see if they have formal internships and if not, contact them to see if you can get work experience during the summer. When applying for an internship or a summer job, you need to convey your desire for a finance career in your application. State your reasons for wanting to work in finance and for this organisation, and demonstrate your knowledge of the sector as well as their products and services.