Dress code summer intern IB - London
I got my offer and will be interning in IB in London this summer. I’ve already bought the suits, but the first day will actually be the first time I step into a proper office like this (all my interviews were online and I haven’t attended any spring weeks, open days, or similar)
I imagine I’ll get a sense of my team’s dress code within the first week, but I’m unsure about what to wear on day one.
I'm also a bit concerned about the heat: I assume there’ll be air conditioning in the office, but I’m nervous about showing up already soaked (partly from the weather, partly from nerves).
My main questions:
- Is brown suits actually a no go? is there any grade of brown that i allowed (light, dark) I’ll have to leave it in the closet? (follow up: Only blue and grey allowed?)
- Should I wear a tank top under my shirt?
- Should I go with or without a tie on the first day?
If you have any other suggestions I’d really appreciate it. Thanks.
Grey and blue suits only, tie on the first day and see what happens. Black shoes (oxfords)
For an intern salary i recommend moss bross and get one in grey and one in blue
Nobody cares about the colour or make of your shoes, actually.
Make less so but colour is quite strict. Would only wear brown if wearing loafers and a lighter blue suit.
Theres like a billion posts on this topic mate.
Why did you buy a brown suit? Where did you even find a brown suit? I mean, I honestly don't think anyone's going to give a shit. It's definitely going to be funny and no one else is going to wear a brown suit. Like no one at all. But would they ding you for it? Probably not tbh as long as it's not like a light brown suit because them you just look like either dog shit or like you're going to cocktail bar.
I mean the rule is really if you wear stuff that you can undo, it's not really a big deal. If you wear a tie and you don't need to, you can just... Take it off. If you wear an undershirt and you don't need to, you can also just take it off. Unfortunately you can't take the colour brown out of your suit but hey ho.
IB offices obviously have air conditioning, London public transportation unfurtunately has not
The people who worry too much about this are definitely the ones who don’t convert.
Crazy to be making that comment as an intern yourself
Forgot to update it. Look at you behaving like an intern though lol.
Honestly not sure why this is even a question - you go for the safest look because you don't want to stand out in any wrong way, but make your work and personality do the actual work and convert.
Grey / navy suit, tie and see how the culture is (old school or more chill vibe). Basically you follow the generic finance outfit, not some YSL fashion walk. Make your work ethic and intelligence do the talk. End.
No one gives a fck what interns are wearing as long as it’s not outrageous. Most ppl forgets interns even exists half of the time. Charcoal/Navy, black belt and black shoes. The whole thing is not that deep.
We've had 6 interns in my team, I can't remember the name of 1 of them lol. So agreed on this
No brown into town, that extends to suits for the avoidance of any doubt. Navy/Grey suit, wear a tie on the first day that you will take off by 11:30am. As for shoes, black oxfords or loafers should do. Most offices its fine to wear trainers/running shoes, so you can leave a pair in the office for comfort. To be honest, especially in summer, you won't be wearing a full suit everyday (even if London summer can be underwhelming), so definitely stock up on v-necks, a gilet or two (Charles Tyrwhitt or Uniqo is the go to for quality and price), a quarter zip/button up jumper and that should be sorted for the 10 or so weeks. Suits wise is pretty easy for options - Charles Tyrwhitt (best variety and most likely for discount), TM Lewin just reopened a store (pricey but imo they fit very nicely), Hawes & Curtis (15% more expensive than Charles Tyrwhitt for the same product) and Moss (plenty of options)
a lot of these comments seem to be from americans, so here is my take from a previous intern in London. you need a navy suit, white shirts and a pair of black oxfords (not derbys). no loafers, gilets, jumpers, colourful socks etc unless you want to stand out. i think wearing a tie on the first day is fine if you want to signal to the whole floor you are an intern lmao.
I'm not American, perfectly fine for interns to wear loafers, gilets and jumpers. No on the colourful socks obviously, but doubt people care
So no need for a tie on the first day during / in general during the internship? Did you wear a suit everyday?
What bank do you work at that allows trainers in the office? That would be outrageous in every London bank I've worked at
Interned at 2, now FT (all MMs/Boutiques). No one could give a damn about what shoes you wear to the office. Most leave a pair of smart shoes in case of a client meeting, quite a lot commute in trainers and then change into smart shoes once reaching the office. But I've worn running trainers with suit trousers plenty a time, and no one cared at all. Would say 30-40% of the floor do it.
I am FT at top 3 BB, loads of ppl do this. Lighten up.
Shocked at how people land offers, yet lack the basic level of EQ/IQ to answer questions like this themselves (or use the search function). It is truly astonishing. The same topic/ questions come up every. single. year. The answers never change.
White T-shirt under your shirt. Never wear a dress shirt to work without a T-shirt underneath.
30 degrees - what type of undershirt are you wearing?
Any vneck white T-shirt will do. It will be especially disastrous if you don’t wear an undershirt in the heat
Are bankers this autistic that they have to solicit an anonymous forum for sartorial advice?
Quite surprised that all your interviews were online for a London IB role. What type of firm is this? Can't be one of the BB's, but even the Evercore/ lazards / etc have in person, so that's interesting.
Also, don't worry about the weather it's London not Dubai, as you probably have noticed it goes up and down every day and week, as long as you stick to the basics you'll be fine. And yes, they will have A/C.
Perhaps reach out to anyone else in your intern cohort and speak to them about their plans and match them if you feel more comfortable that way. But yeah, very basic question with very basic answer.
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