Dealing Desk Assistant Review

I work as Dealing Desk Assistant on the Equities Dealing Desk. My role is very varied and involves a lot of different areas. A couple of examples are processing capital raisings (placings, sub underwritings etc) and also TCA on our trading as well as developing new processes.

Definitely. Aside from all of the skills I have developed in my everyday role I have significantly increased my excel skills and have been on an intermediate excel course and I am due to go on an advanced and VBA course in the coming months. In addition to this, I have also begun the IOC in which I will gain industry qualifications where there is scope to continue.

I am really enjoying the programme, I am very fortunate I have a great team of people that I work with and I really enjoy the role I am doing. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I first started but it has surpassed my expectations and I am extremely glad I applied for the role.

Throughout my one to ones and appraisal/objectives meetings, I have been able to gain feedback from various people across the floor and find areas I excel in and areas that can be improved. My manager definitely gives good feedback on areas I am doing well and I will also ensure I can do as much as I can to improve.

The apprenticeship is very well ran and organised. There are various industry talks/programmes we are able to attend as part of the investment 2020 scheme. There is also a lot of support and guidance both for M&G and the industry as a whole.

I have monthly meetings with my tutor where I receive feedback on what I have uploaded as part of the apprenticeship coursework and what is still outstanding. They will also provide support on any other concerns I may have. A review of my progress is also scheduled every few months with my manager as well.

I get a lot of support in my role, both across my team and from my manager which I have fortnightly one to ones where I can discuss any concerns or issues. The HR team are also very supportive and provide another area to discuss any concerns and also to relay feedback from my manager.

I live at home, so currently have no living expenses, it is just travel so it meets my costs fine. However, I would say this would be much harder if I wasn't able to live at home and needed to rent in the city.

Yes

it has been an extremely good entry into the industry I am very interested in and has provided me with a lot of opportunities I wouldn't have encountered if I hadn't applied.

Try and make sure you have some relevant work experience/work history that you can relate competency based questions to. Ensure you come as prepared as you can (read up on the company and make sure you know the details of the role you're applying for) so you are able to answer questions with confidence in the interview process.