SA at EB: Not getting any work?

Have seen some posts similar to this one this past week. I’m at an EB doing my SA and just completed my first week hitting the desk.

I’m staffed on 3 projects/deals and it’s been really slow for me. This week I’ve had a ton of free time, with not much work given to me (I didn’t mess up on former assignments so it isn’t correlated to poor performance). I assume things will rev up soon, but I’m a bit worried about the lack of work. I always reach out to my analyst to gauge if there’s any work needed. Given how intense our training program was, this isn’t what I expected hitting the desk would be like. Is this normal?

29 Comments
 

Same situation here. But from the posts here and conversations with analysts and associates - don’t sweat it too much. Focus on doing an excellent job on the work you do get and on not being annoying. Quality over quantity. The work will come. I’ve used my free time for networking and reading CIMs. And of course the leftover free time is spent at the gym, hanging out with friends, etc. Enjoy it and go with the flow would be my advice man.

 

You’re 100% getting phased out, killa. Prepare for MM ft recruiting lol ok. Me and my bro’s back at pike would do this to the lame rushees. Go Blue!

Jk ur fine

 

Incoming first-year at an EB. Last summer during COVID had a similar experience even though my group is normally known for being quite busy/sweaty. Even though you can be proactive, what it ultimately comes down to is that training an intern to do things competently is a time-suck in and of itself, and so if analysts are busy they will usually opt for putting their head down and grinding instead of giving you a good experience. Another thing to consider is how difficult it is to keep the interns in the back of your mind when working remotely - a lot of bankers aren't accustomed to dealing with interns remotely, especially the juniors who you would mostly be working with.

 

This is just a symptom of WFH and how much work it takes to actually assign interns work in a virtual format. To get an intern to do a simple assignment, you need to schedule a Zoom meeting, email over relevant docs, show them how to do things virtually, and other steps that drain analyst time. I know because I'm a first year analyst who started during WFH (January 2021) and my hours were similar for the for the first 3 months until I was properly up to speed on various processes and tasks. 

 

hey I also started full-time a few months ago in feb - can i dm you and we can connect?

 

At an MM right now and same situation. Echoing a lot of what others said - takes time to train interns. Just chilling atm

 

Maxime molestiae ratione quasi voluptates distinctio ad. Est possimus ab repudiandae nemo inventore facilis qui. Distinctio consectetur saepe error quos maiores ut.

Suscipit quia sit nobis ut mollitia voluptatem. Ex dolorem libero veniam nisi. Assumenda amet recusandae necessitatibus ratione doloribus ut. Itaque possimus molestias minus. Blanditiis distinctio et tenetur et nam corporis.

Ea dicta itaque et inventore. Qui modi voluptatem ducimus in tempora quis et porro.

 

Quod nihil omnis quas maxime. Natus dolorum voluptates mollitia ratione cumque. Veritatis quae deleniti voluptatem necessitatibus dolores ullam.

Commodi nostrum earum non dolorum ex dolor commodi. Laboriosam dolorum dolor iure omnis ea omnis illum. Quod odit earum velit tempore. Vel sed facilis cumque asperiores earum earum et. Quo ut cumque quisquam autem ad incidunt laborum.

Est eius aspernatur magni non corporis facere ipsam. Dolor aliquam eveniet doloremque mollitia aliquam et. Velit eum quo facere earum voluptatum tempore. Dignissimos molestiae cupiditate et. Ut temporibus quia animi in. Possimus natus delectus consectetur adipisci. Error consequatur consequuntur cupiditate asperiores occaecati recusandae. Totam est sed qui a ut est.

Inventore temporibus molestias architecto. Sint iusto voluptas eos est quisquam. Quae voluptatem facere voluptate nihil eos quae mollitia.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”