OPENING DOORS TO SUCCESS
Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) London is a not for profit organisation that provides outstanding penultimate year under-graduate students from under-represented ethnic minority backgrounds a unique opportunity to gain summer internships at some of the most prestigious firms in the UK financial services industry. 

SEO London also provides students with extensive training, mentoring and networking services, linking students not only to the banks that they work with, but to opportunities and experienced professionals throughout the entire financial services industry.

In 2006 more than 80% of SEO interns received job offers from partner firms after their internships, a success rate which is higher than the industry average. SEO grooms its interns to excel in the workplace and become leaders in their communities who will give back and forge a path to success for the next generation.

As a direct result of the SEO Internship Programme and the high performance of its interns, SEO has significantly increased the number of ethnic minorities employed in investment banks in the City. 

WHAT SEO INTERNS RECEIVE
SEO interns receive a comprehensive internship experience that goes far beyond simply placing students at companies for the summer. We offer intensive training before and during the internship.

Each intern is supported by an extensive mentoring program, and is welcomed into a powerful alumni network comprised of over 4,500 alumni in 30 countries. Interns gain exposure to CEOs and top executives of partner firms through the SEO Summer Seminar Series.

Combined, these resources and networking opportunities put our interns on the fastest track to some of the most financially rewarding career opportunities in the world. 

HOW WE STARTED
SEO was originally founded in 1963 as one of New York’s first mentoring programme for high schools students.  It’s aim was to provide personal and educational development for students from minority ethnic groups by means of sustained support and coaching. 

In 1980, SEO established a Career Programme on Wall Street to provide summer internship opportunities to university students in investment banking.   Subsequent internship programmes have been developed in management consulting, corporate law, accounting and technology. 

SEO has also expanded geographically, to San Francisco, Chicago, Hong Kong and London.  

SEO London was founded in February 2000, bringing to the UK an organisation with an exceptional track record of success in the US.  Over the last twenty five years close to 80% of all SEO interns have converted their summer internship experience into a full time position with a sponsor firm. 

The London programme, in only six years of operation, is achieving similar rates of success.   

ORIENTATION & TRAINING
Training – once selected for the programme, every SEO intern will be given a personalised pre-summer training programme designed to ensure they are better prepared and more knowledgeable about the business they will be working in than any of their peers.

SEO interns receive up to 80 hours of interactive online finance training specific to the business area you will be interning in (normally only provided to bank’s full time analyst class).

SEO Interns receive up to 80 hours of interactive online finance training specific to the business area you will be interning in (normally only provided to bank’s full time analyst class).

SEO Interns also receive in depth excel and power-point training and an introduction to Bloomberg and other critical research tools. Three days of workshop training are run in London before the start of the internships (run by industry experts and alumni of the programme).

FROM INTERNS TO EMPLOYEES
The goal of SEO London is to help our interns land highly competitive jobs. At the beginning of the summer, every intern’s CV is included in the SEO CV and face book that is distributed to all of our partner firms.

SEO’s involvement continues through the End-of-Summer Workshop, where interns learn how to turn their internships into jobs through interview training, and workshops on how to handle multiple job offers. In addition, all interns have a chance to have practice interviews with mentors and alumni.

MENTORING
We want our interns to have the best possible experience during their internships so they will be the top hiring choice at their firm at the end of the summer.

Integral to an intern’s success during the summer is the support network of mentors. Interns can speak with mentors about how to turn their internships into jobs, how to navigate through the industry, specific job challenges, career advice, and personal questions.