Can you take holiday during internships? Not advisable?

As the title suggests, will be doing an internship and want to know how frowned upon it would be to use any of the 5 day holiday entitlement?

Want to ideally have a friday and a monday...

Reply 1

mew_156

8

Don't see why it'd be a problem. I'm doing an internship at the Volkswagen HQ in Germany, and I had 8 days holiday. I took them over a 2 week period whilst taking an extra 2 days (i can work hours in advance) and that wasn't frowned upon at all. I was told I had to take them as I wouldnt be paid extra if I didn't.

If you've been allocated 5 days, then its up to you what you do with them. It's not like you can be given a bad reference for it and there's no reason for anyone to get snotty about it.

Reply 2

staysha

How long is the internship? Can you avoid taking the holidays? I have never done an internship, so I don t know the answer to this. I can say, if it were me, I would not take the holidays. IB seems concerned with how hard you can work, and how committed you seem. I reckon it might send the wrong message.

Reply 3

Ludovic_88

OP

5

10 weeks in sales... I only want two days, I can avoid it but don't see why they actually state holiday time when you can't use it? Anyone ever actually taken holiday in IB internship?

Reply 4

hothedgehog

16

I think if they're giving it to you then you're entitled to take it so if you need it do. As people have said, you won't get paid extra for working on your holiday days.

Reply 5

Captain_Blobby

7

Original post by hothedgehog

I think if they're giving it to you then you're entitled to take it so if you need it do. As people have said, you won't get paid extra for working on your holiday days.

You will get paid for any unused holiday at the end of your internship.

It's not going to improve your chances of converting.

Reply 6

cruel3a

I took 1 day last year but I was in Finance. Another guy took 5 days in a row and worked 9 weeks instead of 10 at the end. A friend of mine in Credit Risk took a couple of days.
But, since Sales is in FO and it is more competitive to get offers, I would not take them.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 7

100

1

Don't take ANY holiday during an IB internship.

Reply 8

Teenage Pirate

13

If you don't like working there and don't want an offer, use your holiday to for instance end early. Your reference won't be hurt a lot by it, especially if you're working well enough to get an offer otherwise.

If you like the job don't take the holiday. Incredibly stupid and seriously detrimental to your chances of an offer.

Reply 9

Tits&Acid

I remember a phone call with Morgan Stanley where they told me my holiday entitlement but then added 'but obviously, we encourage you to not take it'

Reply 10

Ludovic_88

OP

5

i only want two days, is it really that out of the question...i am to understand i will be paid for holiday i do not take yes?

Reply 11

Ludovic_88

OP

5

i don't understand why they even bother mentioning it if it's a complete no-go. also, one other thing i wanted to ask was is there a possibility of receiving an offer to start immediately after internship? if not, when (what month) do they usually start the following year?

thank you all for the advice so far.

Reply 12

Michel Foucault

10

What about for a 1 year internship?

Reply 13

cruel3a

Original post by Ludovic_88

i don't understand why they even bother mentioning it if it's a complete no-go. also, one other thing i wanted to ask was is there a possibility of receiving an offer to start immediately after internship? if not, when (what month) do they usually start the following year?

thank you all for the advice so far.

It depends on th Bank and the desk (i.e.: i think the early entrance for BarCap is in February). During my internship a girl from my school did not receive ad offer from her desk but a desk where she had a rotation had headcount and asked here to start working for them straight after the internship (IBD).

Reply 14

Nimiza

I think I've seen one or two useful replies here. Why the hell are people with no actual experience posting?

If at all possible, do not take your holiday. It's 10 weeks and your objective is to impress and secure an offer for full-time employment. There is plenty of spare time in the year subsequent to your internship to prat around. You will be paid for those 5 days you don't take, i.e. if you take no holidays, you get 11 weeks pay for 10 weeks of work.

Having said that, a lot of interns take a day off for graduation, which is typically a weekday during summer. This is fine.

In addition, I took one Friday off for an important family wedding, which I told HR and my desk about well in advance, and offered to make up for it by working late other days to complete any project I was set (which I did, and it was fine).

However, if it's just for a general holiday and there are no mitigating circumstances (important family reasons/graduation) then it's highly advisable to not take your holiday. The internship ends in late august: there is still plenty of sun around the world in the first weeks of September: a group of us headed straight out to Ibiza.

Reply 15

Ludovic_88

OP

5

Original post by Nimiza

I think I've seen one or two useful replies here. Why the hell are people with no actual experience posting?

If at all possible, do not take your holiday. It's 10 weeks and your objective is to impress and secure an offer for full-time employment. There is plenty of spare time in the year subsequent to your internship to prat around. You will be paid for those 5 days you don't take, i.e. if you take no holidays, you get 11 weeks pay for 10 weeks of work.

Having said that, a lot of interns take a day off for graduation, which is typically a weekday during summer. This is fine.

In addition, I took one Friday off for an important family wedding, which I told HR and my desk about well in advance, and offered to make up for it by working late other days to complete any project I was set (which I did, and it was fine).

However, if it's just for a general holiday and there are no mitigating circumstances (important family reasons/graduation) then it's highly advisable to not take your holiday. The internship ends in late august: there is still plenty of sun around the world in the first weeks of September: a group of us headed straight out to Ibiza.

Thank you very much. Does that mean that being given an offer to start immediately is generally unlikely?

Reply 16

Lorchii

Original post by Ludovic_88

i don't understand why they even bother mentioning it if it's a complete no-go. also, one other thing i wanted to ask was is there a possibility of receiving an offer to start immediately after internship? if not, when (what month) do they usually start the following year?

thank you all for the advice so far.

legal obligation i think..

Reply 17

Nimiza

Original post by Ludovic_88

Thank you very much. Does that mean that being given an offer to start immediately is generally unlikely?

Doesn't normally happen. Out of the 25 or so that got offers on my internship, only 1 was to start straight away, and that was because he got picked up by a desk which was looking outside for a junior team member and he had to interview against some external candidates. His position as an intern massively helped because obviously he could just rock over to the desk and spend time with them impressing them, and because internal hires are preferable.

Reply 18

Michel Foucault

10

Original post by Nimiza

I think I've seen one or two useful replies here. Why the hell are people with no actual experience posting?

If at all possible, do not take your holiday. It's 10 weeks and your objective is to impress and secure an offer for full-time employment. There is plenty of spare time in the year subsequent to your internship to prat around. You will be paid for those 5 days you don't take, i.e. if you take no holidays, you get 11 weeks pay for 10 weeks of work.

Having said that, a lot of interns take a day off for graduation, which is typically a weekday during summer. This is fine.

In addition, I took one Friday off for an important family wedding, which I told HR and my desk about well in advance, and offered to make up for it by working late other days to complete any project I was set (which I did, and it was fine).

However, if it's just for a general holiday and there are no mitigating circumstances (important family reasons/graduation) then it's highly advisable to not take your holiday. The internship ends in late august: there is still plenty of sun around the world in the first weeks of September: a group of us headed straight out to Ibiza.