• Master in Finance cohort’s CV book helps secure an internship in Singapore.
• Comprehensive workshops and one-on-one support are available.
• Experience in Asia is a benefit, even for those who want to work in Europe.

Upon completing her bachelor’s degree in economics and management at King’s College London, Elsa Saada decided on three things: Her interest in finance.

Second, she desired to specialize with a master’s degree, and third, she wanted to explore the world.

The ESSEC Master in Finance (MiF) program at ESSEC Asia-Pacific checked all the boxes, so in 2021, she made her way to Singapore for the first part of her MiF journey, even completing a six-month internship in the country before returning to France for the rest of the program.

She shares her experience in Singapore and why it was so valuable to her.

Could you tell us about your six-month internship in Singapore? What was it like?

I loved it! My tasks involved market research for private equity, venture capital, and real estate deals. I also wrote investor reports and worked on portfolio allocation for clients.

Although I’m most interested in private equity, I liked that this allowed me to diversify and discover many different areas of finance.

How did you manage to secure this internship?

The ESSEC MiF has a CV book they sent to partner companies. Corecam Capital Partners, where I interned, is one of the companies.

They contacted a few of us, saying they were interested in our profiles and wanted to invite us for an interview.

As it was in private equity, I felt it would be the perfect opportunity, so I accepted. The interview went well!

Were you worried about what to do at your interview?

Not really. During my first trimester at the MiF program, we had many workshops to help us prepare for the interview process.

Also, when Corecam contacted me about the opportunity, I forwarded the email to the MiF Career Services advisor, Theresa Chew, and asked for help on how I should prepare.

She advised me to get a complete job description and guided me on the right questions to ask and what to expect.

We understand you hope to pursue your finance career in Europe. How do you think experience in Asia will benefit you?

Coming to Singapore was stepping out of my comfort zone. Experiencing the new landscapes, cultures, religions, and ways of life broadened my mind and gave me confidence in what I could achieve.

It also allowed me to network with people I’d never thought I would have been able to meet.

Companies in Europe will value this international experience. After all, the fact that someone can step out of their comfort zone demonstrates curiosity—companies want people who are curious and willing to learn.

And if you can show such curiosity for your studies or an internship, it proves you can do it for your job.

Share something you think future MiF students at ESSEC Asia-Pacific can be excited about.

The guest definitely talks from industry professionals. These occur around once a week and are when people from the finance industry come to share about their jobs.

The talks give us access to people who are very successful in the finance sector, and sometimes, they can even direct us to the right people to speak to for our future careers.

For example, we had one talk with a speaker from a private equity fund. Although I wasn’t keen on the area of private equity her team was working on, I still reached out after the session.

She introduced me to someone else on a different team, who went on to direct me to another person—and I was finally able to speak to someone in an area I am interested in.

It was a valuable opportunity to meet and network with different people.