Finding a finance summer internship: a practical guide
Understand finance summer programmes and prepare for applications, tests and interviews.
A finance summer internship can give you practical experience and material for your CV. The process can be hard to navigate: what does the programme involve, when should you apply, and how can you prepare for interviews?
Contents
- What is a finance summer internship?
- Why consider one?
- When and where should you apply?
- What does recruitment involve?
- How to prepare
What is a finance summer internship?
A summer internship is often an eight- to ten-week placement offered by investment banks. Interns may work on day-to-day tasks such as preparing memoranda and investment slides or tracking live deals, as part of a team.
Banks may also use the programme to assess candidates for a graduate role. A return offer is possible, but it is not guaranteed.
Why consider one?
A summer programme can offer exposure to firms such as Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan or Morgan Stanley, a closer look at a finance role over roughly two months, and experience to discuss in future applications. Some programmes pay well, with figures cited as high as €4,000 per month; some banks may offer permanent roles to as many as half their interns. These figures are not guarantees and can vary substantially by employer, office and year.
Hours can be intense, sometimes extending to midnight. Ask former interns about the team’s working patterns as well as the work and support they received.
When and where should you apply?
Applications can open in September of the preceding year. For example, an internship in summer 2026 could require an application from September 2025. Some banks publish in October, and dates vary. Prepare early and check each employer’s current timetable rather than assuming a fixed deadline or selection order.
Check employers’ careers pages and application instructions. Examples include:
- Goldman Sachs – Summer Analyst Programme
- J.P. Morgan – Student Programmes
- BlackRock – Early Careers
- Bank of America – Campus Opportunities
London is a major location for European programmes; opportunities can also be found in Paris, Frankfurt and Geneva. A search for “summer internship” plus a bank’s name can help you find the relevant careers page.
What does recruitment involve?
The process varies, but can include the following stages:
- CV and tailored cover letter. Explain why you are applying to this bank and refer, where relevant, to recent deals or a specific feature of the firm.
- Written questions or essay. Ask former interns about their experience of the process, without assuming the same questions will recur.
- Online reasoning tests. These may assess logic and general mathematics. Practice resources include free platforms and providers such as SHL or Kenexa.
- Interviews. Depending on the office, these may be associated with London, Paris or Geneva. Prepare to discuss your motivation, experience and target division clearly and naturally.
How to prepare
Contact former interns through LinkedIn to ask about their experience. Begin preparation well in advance—ideally in spring—then practise technical and fit questions aloud. Check the required language for each programme and proofread your CV and cover letter carefully; some processes are conducted in English throughout.
Choose the programmes and offices that fit your interests, confirm the current dates on the employer’s site and leave enough time to prepare each application.
Find your next opportunity.
Browse listings and prepare a tailored application for the right contact.
