Buzzing trading floors, classrooms and networking drinks have been replaced by online projects, 'hackathons' and fitness sessions for the class of 2020 investment banking interns.
"We couldn't have big parties or anything like that but we did work with a music start-up – there was a battle of the bands competition where the interns could vote," Helena Sharpe, JP Morgan's head of campus recruiting for EMEA, said. "Some of them probably still work relatively long days because they want to make a good impression and do the best they can on their projects," Sharpe said.
At Barclays, there were two weeks of classroom learning, and while some parts involved a real-life teacher others required watching videos on an online portal. But working virtually has made interns less competitive with each other and more willing to help, the intern said, adding they were able to call each other to ask questions.