Junior Mentors interrogate bankers

Last week a group of young people from the ReachOut Junior Mentors went to visit Macquarie Bank. The trip offered a fantastic opportunity for our Year 10 and Year 11 students to find out what it would be like to work in a global investment bank.

We started the day with a business brunch and a presentation about investment banking and the different careers on offer in an organisation like Macquarie. Macquarie employs more than 13,900 people in 28 countries so there are a huge number of roles available beyond trading, including Human Resources, graphic design and sales. We learnt that in every role within the bank it is essential to be well organised and pro-active. Safe to say that all the young people who came to Macquarie bright and early in the middle of their half-term fulfil these requirements!

After brunch, the young people split up into groups and were given the opportunity to ask the Macquarie volunteers questions about what they do. After half an hour of discussion time, a young person from each group presented their findings to the group. The young people found out how the Macquarie employees had chosen their career paths and the steps they had taken to get to their current roles. Although, a few groups ventured slightly off-topic with their questions (‘Are you married?’, ‘What’s your wife called?’, ‘Do you want kids?’), leaving a few Macquarie volunteers blushing by the end of the presentations!

We finished the day with a tour of the glamorous Macquarie offices including the vast trading floor and the very impressive ‘floating’ red stair case.

The day was organised by the Macquarie Group Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Macquarie Group. Thank you to Rachel Engel and Richard King for putting on a great event for our Junior Mentors.