FINANCE INTERNSHIP PREPARATION

Projects to help you prepare
for your spring week.

Choose a project related to the summer internship you want. Each explanation tells you what to do, what to produce and what you should be able to discuss in an interview.

You do not need to complete lots of projects. Pick one you have time to finish properly. A project can help you understand the job and prepare examples to discuss, but it cannot guarantee an internship offer.

Browse projects

PROJECT IDEAS

Choose a project.

Filter by the type of work, your experience
and the tools you want to use.

Show saved projects only

WORKED EXAMPLES

Example breakdowns

These workbooks show how to build a model, follow its calculations and check the answer.

EXCEL WORKBOOK

Buying a company with borrowed money

A detailed LBO model (leveraged buyout: a company purchase funded with investor money and loans). Work through a fictional company’s purchase, business forecast, loan repayments and sale. The formulas are linked so you can change an assumption and see the effect.

A working five-year model with profit, cash flow and balance-sheet calculations.
Separate loan calculations, tax assumptions, fees, management payments and investor returns.
A detailed build guide with cell references, worked explanations, mistakes to avoid and exercises.
A formula map, definitions, model checks and editable price comparisons.

Download the detailed Excel breakdown

Made-up practice figures. Read the workbook’s stated assumptions before changing them. Open in Microsoft Excel with automatic calculation enabled.

SPRING WEEK ADVICE

How to use your project.

Employers will also assess how you work with others, take part in exercises and respond to feedback. Prepare your project before the programme so it supports your participation.

Before your spring week

Finish a small version of your project. Check the calculations and sources. Practise explaining the question, your answer and the main limitation in about 90 seconds.

During your spring week

Give your attention to the activities and your team. Use what you learned to ask relevant questions. Mention your project when it fits the discussion, and show it if someone asks.

After your spring week

Write down what you learned and update anything you now think is wrong. Follow the employer’s instructions for interviews and applications. Be ready to explain what you changed and why.

GETTING STARTED

What you need to know.

Choose a manageable task

The suggested hours are estimates. If you have less time, use one example and keep the explanation short. A finished piece of work you understand is more useful than a large unfinished one.

Find information you can use

For company projects, start with the company’s latest annual report on its website. For UK economic figures, try the Bank of England or the Office for National Statistics. Record where each figure came from and its date.

Bank of England statistics Office for National Statistics

Present the work clearly

For Excel projects, use a clearly labelled workbook and the short explanation or slides requested in the project. For programming projects, use the attached guide to put your code on GitHub so someone else can read and run it.

Understand what you made

Check any help you use, including AI tools. You should be able to explain the calculations, choices and limitations yourself. Use public information or made-up examples, and keep private employer and customer information out of your work.