Natland získal stážistu z prestižní americké UCLA

22.5.2022

Paul Montgomery je student ekonomie a financí na prestižní americké University of California LA. Léto se letos rozhodl strávit v Praze a v Natlandu, jako stážista je začleněn do analytického týmu a spolupracuje na analýzách v oblasti energetiky, technologií nebo venture kapitálového financování a mnoha dalších případech. Proč se rozhodl pro Českou republiku a pro Natland, a jaké jsou jeho plány po studiu? 

Paul, why you decide to come to Prague for your internship? And why specifically Natland’s field of private equity?

As I was actively searching for potential internship positions, I came across an email from the Economics department at UCLA that talked about a summer internship program that would take place in Prague. Prior to this I was always told by friends and family about the beauty of Prague as a city, and therefore I began to do more research about Prague and the Czech Republic in general. After doing some research I decided to apply to the internship and after being accepted into the program I decided that this would be the best option for me as I would have a chance to gain valuable career experience in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. As for why I wanted to gain experience within the Private Equity field, I had always been intrigued by career prospects within the buy-side of financial services, and I was always intrigued by the value added provided by private equity firms. In addition to this, I was always drawn to this field due to the long-term perspective one must take to succeed.

What is your main focus to try / learn / experience during your stay?

My focus throughout my internship is to learn all I can about the everyday operations that make up the life of an analyst at a private equity firm, and perhaps discard any erroneous pre-conceptions I may have had about the private equity field before coming in. I wish to gradually begin to formulate a mental framework through which I can systematically evaluate any given company based on both quantitative and qualitative analysis. In addition to this, I want to learn about the unspoken intricacies that come with dealing with clients on a personal level. I also wish to apply my preexisting knowledge surrounding financial modelling on to the real world.

Have you already had an internship previously, e.g. in the US? Is it standard practice that students go for summer internships in the US?

This is my first internship ever, and I am currently going into my junior year (3^rd Year) of university. In the US it is a very common practice for students to look for and attain internships over the summer in order to complement the theoretical knowledge that may have been learned throughout the school year with practical knowledge surrounding everyone’s respective career goals.

After your first month, what surprised you the most about Prague or Natland?

After my first month here the thing that surprised me the most about my experience up to this point has been the weather in Prague. In regard to Natland itself, I was surprised by the extent to which they had developed their venture capital investments, as well as the breadth of industries in which they had invested in.

After you finish your prestigious UCLA studies, what is your dream job? Or do you instead dream about running your own business? Why or why not?

Following graduation from UCLA I would like to begin working at an entry-level position within the financial services industry. From what I know gaining an entry-level position at a buy-side firm is somewhat unheard of, therefore I would likely look to work at a sell-side firm, for instance a company which engages in investment banking. However, in the long run I would like to eventually work in Private equity, in hopes of one day being able to start my own boutique investment fund.

What do you expect the internship will reveal to you about your knowledge and about yourself?

I hope this internship teaches myself about what working habits I should adopt and reinforce and which I should perhaps substitute with habits that better increase my efficiency in the workplace. I expect the internship will also help me realize the rudimentary nature of my knowledge, though I also expect this knowledge to be improved upon drastically while I’m here.

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