What are finance internships?

Finance internships offer a structured introduction to working life in the sector and the organisation. Most are aimed at students in their penultimate year of study and run for eight to ten weeks during the summer, but some organisations also offer shorter ‘taster’ programmes.

What do you do as a finance intern?

Internships and placement years are structured and purposely designed to give you an insight into day-to-day work life. Internships usually begin with an initial training programme or induction. Then your tasks may include some analysis work, data entry, market research, forecasting and reporting. It’s also likely that you’ll be given a project to work on jointly with other interns and asked to present your findings to senior members of the firm at the end of your internship. For more information regarding finance internships, read our guide on work experience and internships in finance .

When should you apply for a finance internship?

Vacancies for most work experience opportunities open around September/October and close in December the year before you want to start work experience. A few firms have closing dates in January or February and a few more will advertise vacancies on an ad hoc basis, so keep an eye out for live positions above. Some employers close applications for their internship when the vacancies are filled, so apply as soon as you can.