How much you learn during your internship is only limited by yourself

Elsa Pahne applied for SEB’s Large Corporates & Financial Institutions (LC&FI) internship after graduating with a degree in Applied and Computational Mathematics from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH). Here, she shares her experiences from her time as an intern and how it was the perfect way to kick-start her career in the bank.

What made you apply for an internship at SEB?

– I’ve always wanted to work for a large international company and became interested in SEB after having a summer job at the bank in 2019. I was pleasantly surprised by the culture and the bank’s commitment to hiring individuals with diverse skills and backgrounds. As someone who has more of a technical background, that’s what motivated me to apply for the LC&FI Summer Internship. So, in the summer of 2023, I had the opportunity to work in Foreign Exchange (FX) Sales within Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities (FICC) Markets.

What did you do during your internship?

– At the start of my internship, I underwent training but fairly quickly started working on the same tasks as my colleagues. I was involved in the team from the start, listening in on various client meetings and being entrusted with handling transactions and trading deals. Although it was a bit daunting at first, I believe it was the best way for me to learn. At the same time, I received incredible support from my team – always making sure I felt like a valued team member and was having the best learning experience. Because of that, I also had the freedom to prioritise what I wanted to learn more about. I took the opportunity to explore different areas within FICC Markets and also volunteered for various assignments from other teams besides my own.

What do you work with today?

– One of the teams that I got to learn more about during my internship was Risk Advisory, where I currently work as a Risk Advisor. Risk Advisory is part of FICC Markets, but also collaborates closely with other areas of the bank, such as Corporate Banking, Investment Banking, and Structured Finance. We serve as risk advisors, mainly for private equity and large corporate customers in strategically large and more unusual transactions, such as M&A, capital structure or other large-scale investment situations, and often analyse potential currency and interest rate risks. The work we do is therefore very analytical and requires an understanding of transactions and risk calculations while having a liking for client interaction.

What knowledge from your internship do you take with you in your current role?

– A lot! My LC&FI internship provided me with existing contacts within the bank and a solid understanding of how things work. This made it easier for me to grasp the work within Risk Advisory and has facilitated more effective communication in situations where we need to collaborate with other teams. Overall, it’s also been a lot of fun returning to a workplace where I feel familiar!

Why should others apply for an internship at SEB?

– There may be some negative preconceptions about working in banking, but SEB definitely dispels them. Throughout my entire internship, I received an incredibly welcoming and professional impression from the bank and everyone I came in contact with. Everything was very well-structured, and it was evident that the bank values both the professional and personal development of its employees. As an intern, you need to remember that you are primarily there to learn. And in that sense, the LC&FI Summer Internship was very supportive and open to everyone – regardless of your area of interest. The most important thing is that you’re positive, eager to learn and take responsibility for your development. How much you then learn during your internship is only limited by yourself.