EMEA Rates Trade assistant Review

My role includes being a trade assistant, so I work with the traders and other teams in the back - including settlements, affirmation, technology, regulation and compliance in order to make sure trades feed down correctly and solve any issues. This includes getting to know a wide variety of tech systems and booking trades. We do occasionally talk to brokers that are external to JPM but our main clients are internal - the traders. I have a wide variety of projects, mainly focused on process enhancement or automation. My product is fixed income trade, focusing on European government bonds, suprational, sovereign and Agency issued debt. I also work with the swap derivative desk, inflation linked bond desk, US treasury traders and Emerging market desk.

I currently study for a Level 4 NVQ, sponsored by JP Morgan. This is in Investment Operations Specialist. This consists of 3 exams - the Introduction to securities and Investments, the Information Technology in Investment Operations, and a Risk and Regulation exam. These exams help me massively in my day to day BAU role, as what we learn directly applies to our job. Which means it's interesting to study and learn. There are a wide variety of courses to take, whether that be MS Excel courses, language courses, business or product knowledge, or general banking information. Banking is such a wide topic but all of the products and modules are covered on the company intranet which is interesting if you want to know about other areas you may want to go into. I've learnt a lot about communication and the world of finance itself.

I think this programme is incredible, and I can honestly say that. I wouldn't choose to go to any other company or even Uni after going and doing this. The work is enjoyable, even though it's sometimes busy and stressful, I really enjoy going into work each day. My team and colleagues are just as hardworking and friendly and we get along really well. The company culture for fair and efficient client experiences is greatly pushed and you feel like you're constantly working to improve satisfaction and help the business.

JPM is a huge MNC which spans across over 66 countries, employing over 260,000 employees across the globe. Even though I am tiny in comparison to the scale and scope of the company, I still feel valued and feel like I make a difference. My manager and I have frequent catchups and always provides honest and constructive feedback as well as praise where needed.

I am part of the first cohort in the London Bank street office, even though the programme has been running since 2013 down in Bournemouth. Our induction and bootcamp was efficient and very good for team building and bonding with the other network of apprentices which is key. Support and studying is always there, there are many different people you can go to depending on the issue. So overall I am very happy about the way the programme is organised and formatted, and the team do a good job updating us when things need changing and always welcome our feedback.

The support we receive from our training provider - BPP is above average. We have a dedicated cohort advisor who helps us with any matters and relays any information about our studying or our coursework and she is very helpful. However BPP can be slightly unorganised and hard to communicate with. Overall I'd say they did a good job but there are areas to improve upon, such as, delivery of lectures and communication around issues.

I receive a great amount of support from my manager, he understands how important these exams are and always helps me if I'm not on track. And I know that if I'm struggling to study or answer any questions that I can come to him for help and he'll either help me himself or find someone else that can answer my question. The HR team is also great and provides a lot of advice and help when it comes to study, the job role, or even personal issues outside of work, they are all extremely friendly and useful as you get to know them quite well.

The salary is 21k PA for London lvl4 apprentices currently, this is very high relative to all apprenticeships offered in the UK. So I am very happy with my salary and does well to offset London costs. However I live alone in Canary Wharf, hence my costs are very high and my salary does not quite cover bills and rent, so I provide the difference from my savings and parents. I'd say that If you lived in London before or live with parents or don't have to commute, then the salary is very comfortable. However if you must relocate (like I did) then you might need additional funds.

JP Morgan is a big promoter of Corporate Social Responsibility. There are many programmes within the apprenticeship and within your team and within the company. Such as the outreach and schools challenge event where we went to disadvantaged schools and helped them with a project they presented to an audience. I also am part of the JPM badminton club, there are over 15 different sports or leisure activities to join if you are that way inclined. Which is a great way to meet new people and network. E.G the football team also play other banks in CW in a tournament. And if you don't see your favourite sport you are encouraged to start your own club!

Yes

Because it is a great opportunity to progress and develop within a huge company. The fact they pay for your studies (so no debt) and pay you a substantial salary is also an extra bonus. Also, if you want to work in finance then there is no better than JPM to work at, especially as your chance to network and build you career is especially easy to do once you have your foot in the door.

Be yourself, don't try to blag questions you don't know. Often you're not expected to know. Also you should relax and treat the application process as an experience. Even though it's tough they are very enjoyable stages that offer valuable experience for your career. The key thing is to be engaged, do the appropriate prior research, and don't be afraid to ask questions.