The Observer previews a soon-to-be-published novel about a career in investment banking. Polly Courtney joined the investment banking fraternity after a successful internship, and hated it. She has now written a novel, 'Golden Handcuffs', based on her experiences.

Ms Courtney was studying engineering at Cambridge in 2001, when she was invited to attend a dinner thrown by a well-known investment bank.

Here are some of her comments about what happened next:

'.....there was no way I was going into the City.....(but) the recruitment team was clever. They'd sent up a selection of attractive personable young graduates who painted such a rosy picture of the firm that I started to listen'.

My first taste of banking was in the summer of 2001. I was paid £7,000 for an eight-week internship.....Twice a week, the company laid on events - wine-tasting, pub crawls, cocktail evenings at the Tower of London.........I wasn't keeping horrendously long hours - 13 or 14 hours a day was the norm - but others around me were always still sitting at their desks when I left every night. That should have been a warning sign'.

Once on board, however, 'the hours were long, much longer than during the internship. The non-stop partying came to an end, and grim reality really kicked in'.

'One guy was sent home suffering from exhaustion after working all night twice in a row.............One night I left at 11pm and went home to bed. Just after 1am I woke to the sound of my front doorbell ringing. I had not heard my mobile - although it was supposed to be always in earshot - and they wanted me back in the office. Eventually, they had sent a taxi driver round to wake me up...............During my internship I saw one employee who would slip out in the evening and snort cocaine to pep himself up'.

'I was the only woman in a team of 21 and this made a difference. I was seen as a secretary, not as a banker. When directors scanned the office for an analyst, I just didn't seem to be on their radar'.

'Lads nights out were common..........and they would typically end up in the local strip club. (Office) affairs were certainly common'.

In the end, Ms Courtney had enough, and took a package. Of the 32 graduates who joined the firm in her year, there are 3 left today.

Is this tale typical ? We want to hear from employees who have worked their way up through an investment banking graduate recruitment programme. And which firm did Polly Courtney work at ? If you know the answer, or wish to comment on this article, please forward us a mail at news@hereisthecity.com

'Golden Handcuffs' will be published in November.

Source - The Observer

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