Career Heroes - Ellen McCauley

Tell us more about you

I’m a final year student at Ulster University studying Finance and Investment Management. I love going to the gym to help me relax and stay fit and healthy. I also love cooking and baking.

What kind of work do you do?

As a Junior Analyst, you’re given the same responsibilities as an Analyst 1 or Analyst 2 and trusted with important information. I worked in a team of four people every day. In the mornings we’d have a brief for the day and the Team Leader would assign us tasks that we needed to complete that day.

I worked alongside one of the world’s leading investment banks for the year and got an insight into the basics of investment banking. I also worked with clients all around the world to carry out KYC (Know Your Customer) reviews on investors.

How did you become a Junior Analyst?

In secondary school, I did A Levels in Math, Religion, and Geography, but I always knew I wanted to do something in finance.

I applied for the Finance and Investment Management degree and got the grades I needed to be accepted onto the course. I’m now in my final year and after I graduate in Summer 2022, I will return to work for FinTrU.

My degree includes a compulsory placement year, so I applied to FinTrU as I’d heard a lot of good reviews from past placement students. I started my placement in July 2021 and finished in July 2022.

I’m glad I completed this placement as I’ve learned many new skills, which will be invaluable in my future career. I also secured a graduate job with the company.

If you could do-over, What would you do differently?

I don’t think I would do anything differently. I always knew I wanted to do something finance-related, so I had no reservations when applying for my degree. However, I was offered a few different placement options and had to carefully decide which company would be best suited to me. I researched each company a lot and realised FinTrU had a lot of different societies and clubs e.g. Women in Finance, which intrigued me.