With so many people going to university, it’s never been more important to get work experience to give you the edge over the competition. Indeed, work placements are a vital part of some university courses, and many students spend a year working in industry in preparation for graduate life.

Finding a finance placement / internship

Many of the big investment banks and financial organisations also offer shorter-term internships, which are used to try out potential recruits. These are extremely competitive, and employers look for a high level of academic achievement (an expected 2.1 or above, for example).

If you don’t secure a work placement with a large company, there’s no need to panic. There are many varied opportunities on offer, simply because every company, whatever sector they operate in, has a finance department.

Benefits of work experience

There are many benefits to be gained from doing a finance work placement:

• the development of transferable business skills, such as knowledge of financial software and awareness of the different finance functions within organisations
• insight into the day-to-day operations of a real business
• help in deciding which specialist route you may choose to eventually follow
• the chance to earn while you learn
• if you’re not studying a finance-related degree, a work placement demonstrates your commitment to this career area.

Available finance placements

There are many finance placements available – the following is just a sample.

Barclays Capital
Barclays Capital is the investment banking division of Barclays Group. It offers a range of internship opportunities for students, with most lasting about ten weeks over the summer. The internships are carefully structured and may include business-related projects. They may lead to an offer of permanent employment.

Deloitte
Deloitte offers students a variety of options. The Summer Vacation Scheme gives penultimate-year students the chance to work at Deloitte across a number of areas and receive training in key skills.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
PricewaterhouseCoopers’ summer internships last for two months, and are available at offices across the UK in areas such as tax and actuarial. Business placements last for six or eleven months and are open to students on a sandwich course in any subject.

Go to the finance career advice area.