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FIWhen I was just starting out,
I thought I had to land a front-office role at a big bank to “make it” in finance.
But here’s the truth: any solid internship — even 2 or 3 months — is a massive plus on your CV if you position it well.
Here are the best types of internships I’ve seen students use to break in (even from non-targets)
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1. Middle Office (MO)
MO teams work right between traders and risk managers. You’ll learn how deals get processed, how banks handle risk, and how real money flows.
Seen at: Société Générale, HSBC, BNP Paribas, Natixis
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2. Back Office (BO)
Don’t sleep on BO. It’s where you understand the plumbing of finance: settlement, compliance, data flows. Some of the smartest juniors I met in trading started there.
Seen at: Crédit Agricole, CACEIS, State Street
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3. Audit & Internal Control
Great place to build structure, understand regulation, and dig into company processes. A great launchpad for Risk, Compliance, or even M&A if you rebrand well.
Seen at: EY, Mazars, Deloitte, KPMG
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4. Asset Management Internships
AM firms (even small ones) give you exposure to portfolio construction, macro research, client presentations — and they love generalist profiles.
Seen at: Amundi, Tikehau, Carmignac, Lazard Frères Gestion
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5. Boutique Finance Firms
Think small advisory shops, brokers, family offices. Less structured… but often more exposure. You’ll wear many hats, and learn fast.
Seen at: Alphavalue, Kepler Cheuvreux, Primonial, small M&A boutiques
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Even a 2-month internship can make you stand out if you frame it well (tasks, exposure, soft skills).
Start where you can, then leverage it to pivot internally or apply stronger in 2A.
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💬 Drop “AM” if you want my full list of 50+ roles where to apply in BO/MO/AM/Boutiques as a first-year.
#summerinternship #financecareer #nontarget #assetmanagement #audit #middleoffice #financeinternship #bo #tradingfloor #howtobreakin #salesandtrading #entrylevelfinance #reelsfinance
@finance.thomas
