Unpaid MF PE/EB/MBB internship

I have an offer, through personal connections, to do an unpaid internship at a well-known MF PE / EB / MBB firm during my freshman summer. The catch is that I won’t be formally registered in their system, but I will have a direct internship supervisor, their contact information, and a letter of recommendation. My concern is whether this could cause problems during formal recruiting background checks later on. I can truthfully attest to having done the internship — I’ll be working in person and have the documentation mentioned — but I’m wondering whether HR teams will ever be contacted or if this could raise red flags.

11 Comments
 

Should be fine if background check invoked providing email info of internship supervisor and letter of internship - my worry is about if the background check involved calling HR at the firm, who will not find me in the system.

 

I think you’ll be fine - I did something similar as well, think BB, and didn’t have issues with background check and am at another larger bank

 

when you do the background check they will ask for the phone number of your supervisor. When that time comes, message this supervisor and say, "hey, look out for this phone call or tell your assistant/secretary to do so." It definitely won't be a problem 

 

Accusantium incidunt suscipit dolore saepe. Enim qui quisquam dolores et. Laudantium et voluptate qui quam provident ab cumque. Repudiandae pariatur perspiciatis repudiandae consequatur quidem.

Dolor eum nemo velit voluptas odit ratione. Veniam voluptatum quibusdam autem. Optio sint sit dolorem perspiciatis ipsum. Velit eaque maxime repudiandae voluptas expedita sunt.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
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...”