Bank interns back at school getting "withdrawal symptoms" from lack of work, early nights

Banks like JPMorgan and Bank of America have been taking steps in recent months to prevent their interns working excessive hours. For banking at large, however, progress on this issue is slow.

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"I work for a large bank, I'm there from 9am to 6am, then back at 9am at times," one junior told us via social media. A concerned friend of a seperate banker said that 6am finishes were "his busiest day", but he more commonly finished between 2am and 4am, averaging four hours of sleep per night.

The hours don't get too much better above analysts either. A VP in business lending told us they average five hours of sleep per night; "I'm so busy trying to reach the top." An associate told us they suffer equal to analysts at the moment.

These excessive hours are having negative effects on juniors. One said they "fall asleep driving home because I'm exhausted. I'm told, if I don't like it, there's the door." A New York based European bank employee said they "used to get panic attacks," and are happy to be in a more senior position now.

Not all juniors are so criticial of the workload, however. One who had just finished a banking internship said they're getting "withdrawal symptoms" back at school; "I get bored of how little work I have to do." Another told us "it ebbs and flows, and we all signed up for it."

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