What's it like working as an Investment Banking Analyst at a big bank like Goldman Sachs?

I work at Goldman Sachs's London office. I joined in 2020, for the Investment Banking Analyst programme.

⏳ Hours

The average workweek for an Investment Banking Analyst at Goldman Sachs in London is around 80 hours. This can vary greatly depending on the individual's role, team, and workload, but it is not uncommon for us analysts to work late into the night.

🗓️ Typical day-to-day tasks

A typical day in my role involves a lot of work with Excel (20% of my day) and PowerPoint (50% of my day).

Excel modeling is crucial, and I often need to interpret models that clients send me. However, once I’ve looked at the models and understand where the data comes from, I don’t overwork or look at it too much later in the engagement. It’s there, and it’s a crucial reference, but by far I’d spend way more time in PowerPoint. Mostly feedback and comments, as that can take up a lot of time due to the extensive back and forth involved.

The rest of my day, 30% will be spent in meetings, whether internal or with clients.

🪜 Expected career progression

There are four ranks in the Investment Banking Team - Analyst, Associate, Vice President (VP), and Managing Director (MD). Each deal involves one person from each rank, and responsibilities vary depending on the Managing Director and the deal. For context, usually, an Associate would hold the responsibilities of putting together the materials, and as an Analyst, I assist with internal approvals.

Time between promotions will depend on the individual, but usually, it would take two years for a fresh Analyst to make it to the Associate level. The subsequent promotions extend to a couple more years.

I aim to become an Investment Banking Associate, but I’m unsure if I’d stay to pursue further onto Vice President. I have found that other areas in finance are more interesting and impactful. I got into investment banking to learn the ropes of a client-facing role and its commercial approach.