Since the end of April 2022, I have been working as a student trainee at Aquin in Munich. During this time, I have learned a lot about the M&A industry and working life in finance.
The M&A industry is exciting and complex.
My job mainly consists of supporting the analyst team in various projects. Therefore, variety is always assured. From research work for different industries and companies, database maintenance and preparation, to supporting the creation of company presentations – in every project we learn about interesting industries and their contexts. Through my involvement in the various steps of the M&A process, I was able to experience and understand M&A in practice, which is a valuable addition to my studies. In addition, I also gained generally useful experience, e.g. with the handling of the company’s internal programs and databases, which I was quickly familiarized with.
A good working environment is irreplaceable.
Settling into a new job usually takes a little time. At Aquin, however, I felt like a complete part of the team after just a few days. Whether it’s the analyst team or the senior management, everyone here supports one another, and I always had a contact person if there was a problem. At the regularly held team events, I was able to get to know my colleagues outside of the office and – to no surprise – the atmosphere was always good. So, if you want to know what “flat hierarchies” really mean in practice and not just as a phrase in job advertisements, this is the place for you.
It does not have to be 80 hours.
When you think of careers like M&A consulting, many people think of 80-hour work weeks and a lack of work-life balance. At Aquin, I was able to learn that it doesn’t have to be that way. Sure, M&A remains a labor-intensive industry. However, at Aquin, we make sure to distribute the workload evenly among our employees. This means that no one has to be swamped by work and there is also time for social life. High flexibility in the scheduling of working hours, also allowed me to coordinate my studies and work well.
In conclusion …
… I can only say that I have very much enjoyed my time at Aquin so far. Interesting and diverse tasks in an exciting industry with great colleagues and the opportunity to gain valuable practical experience. I can recommend anyone to take a job here!