INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Why apply for a position as a summer intern?

You are interested in investing and you love Wesleyan. Perhaps your experience at Wesleyan has kindled a desire to help further the mission of the University. You will work closely with senior investment professionals on everything from portfolio analysis to special projects. Our interns tell us that a summer with the investments office feels like a seminar in asset management.  You will get a broad view of how we manage a $1 billion pool of capital to manage risk including exposure to all assets classes: equity, private equity, real estate, natural resources and more esoteric hedged approaches. 

Do I need to be pursuing a degree in economics/finance/advanced mathematics?

Quite simply, no. We are looking for intellectually curious, hard-working, analytical and personable people who think they may be interested in a career in investing.

Academically, however, we do expect you to be at the top of your class.

What will I be doing?

After some basic training in Excel, finance, Bloomberg and Morningstar, you’ll be off to the races. Interns in the Investments Office gain exposure to a wide variety of asset classes and work on projects that will impact the management of the endowment. Of course, there will be some data entry tasks, but that is a necessary evil if you are to produce statistical analyses of manager and market performance and tackle bespoke research projects.

You will work side-by-side with members of the investment team who are there as resources and mentors.  You will be an active participant in staff meetings and welcomed to attend meetings with existing and prospective investment managers.

When does it start?

It is (almost) totally up to you.  We expect you to spend at least 8 to 10 weeks working in the office, and the earliest you could finish is mid-August.  If you’d like to work the whole summer, great!

Will I get paid?

Yes.

I’m an international student – can I apply?

You bet.

How do I apply?

We recruit for summer interns in the fall prior.  If we hire three, we will be out of the market until the following fall, but if we only find one (or none), we’ll be back in the spring to fill the upcoming summer’s position(s). Look for more information on Wesleyan’s Handshake page.

Use your cover letter to explain why you want the job. Avoid the usual resume-speak, and don’t recite your grades and accomplishments – we can get that from your resume and transcript. Take a risk and tell us about yourself in a simple, straightforward way!  In your cover letter, answer these questions using fewer than five sentences for each.

1. What is something accepted as conventional wisdom that you disagree with? Why?
2. Identify a powerful or interesting idea you encountered in the last four years.

What our past interns say about their experience in the Wesleyan Investment Office team:

"This internship has been a phenomenal and fun learning experience."

Brian Do, 2022 Intern

"Up-beat, encouraging and everlasting. The WIO is a fast-paced environment and there is a lot to learn, but the team is always very supportive of your learning. The skills you gain from this internship will be with you forever."   

Kai Marcos, 2020 Intern. Read Kai's full Q&A here.

"Prior to the internship I had a limited understanding of investment finance. It is daunting to apply to something that you have no experience in, but if you are curious about investing or the endowment, and you're passionate about learning, don't let feeling unqualified stop you from applying!" 

Anna Yeo, 2020 Intern. Read Anna's full Q&A here.

"As an intern in the WIO you are given a solid, well-rounded introduction to the world of investing. The knowledge and perspective I gained was pivotal in helping me decide my next course of action."

Dabin Shin, 2020 Intern. Read Dabin's full Q&A here.