Preparing for Sweatshop Internship

Signed SA at a well-known sweatshop (consistent 90+ hours per WSO posts). I was wondering if anyone had any advice regarding what to expect, how to prepare, how to best perform all necessary responsibilities without wasting unnecessary time, etc. Also, how would downtime factor into this? Curious because of the recent post.

Not at all intending to slack off, just looking to optimize my experience. 

Thanks in advance

6 Comments
 

I did my SA at a pretty sweaty bank (90+ all summer) and accepted the return. I don't think you need to prepare anything in advance. Just relax this spring and be ready to sprint during your internship. The work wasn't difficult but we had many small tasks at all hours. Something to remember is your reference point for the industry will be in the upper range of hours. If you go elsewhere you'll likely have improved WLB.

 

Biggest thing is prepare mentally and have the right attitude. Don’t get frustrated when more work rolls in, just remember that’s what your job is as an intern and the reason that you’re doing this in the first place is to learn and get a return offer. 
 

Second piece of advice is to take training seriously, especially your group’s specific internal training. Take very detailed notes on all internal processes (you’ll have internal trainings on spreading comps, your model templates, PowerPoint/excel, FactSet/capIQ). It will save you so much time and effort in the future (and make you look better) if you have detailed instructions on how to do these tasks that you’ll do time and time again (and won’t need to ask your analyst twice about)

 
Most Helpful

Nothing special, but this is how I handled it. I think a key takeaway is most of the 'preparation' you can do is mental. 

  • Expect to work late every night. As I look back on my internship, the times in which the hours frustrated me the most was when I expected that I'd be done by X hour, made plans and then realized I would no longer be able to make those plans. You can argue this isn't a healthy long-term approach to take, but for 10 weeks, its manageable. 
  • Rest when you can. The incremental benefits of sleeping at 1am vs. 3am for me was massive. Take advantage of the early evening downtime (exercise, walk around the block, eat your dinner outside, etc.). Some of this was made much easier during WFH, but fresh air goes a long way.
  • Do something on the weekend. I think its important to experience both sides of this job as an intern (the grueling hours but also the nice lifestyle it provides). 
  • Comb through the network drive and get familiar with materials and presentations. A lot of the work in banking is repurposed for different clients, so if you want to improve efficiency, spend the time to get comfortable with the jargon, the templates, the deal storyline, etc. It helps you ask better questions, process information quicker, and displays an interest in the job.
 

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