When I was just starting out, I thought I had to land a front-office role at a big bank to “make it” in finance. But here’s the truth: any solid internship — even 2 or 3 months — is a massive plus on your CV if you position it well. Here are the best types of internships I’ve seen students use to break in (even from non-targets) — 1. Middle Office (MO) MO teams work right between traders and risk managers. You’ll learn how deals get processed, how banks handle risk, and how real money flows. Seen at: Société Générale, HSBC, BNP Paribas, Natixis — 2. Back Office (BO) Don’t sleep on BO. It’s where you understand the plumbing of finance: settlement, compliance, data flows. Some of the smartest juniors I met in trading started there. Seen at: Crédit Agricole, CACEIS, State Street — 3. Audit & Internal Control Great place to build structure, understand regulation, and dig into company processes. A great launchpad for Risk, Compliance, or even M&A if you rebrand well. Seen at: EY, M...