• Bachelor’s degree, University and course: Economics at University of St Andrews
• Master’s degree, University and course: Economic History at LSE
• Capital Economics Graduate Scheme, applicable dates: Sep 2014 – 2016

Why did you apply to join the Capital Economics graduate scheme?

I was initially keen to do a master’s degree in economics once my undergraduate studies finished. But when I learned about Capital Economics’ graduate training scheme – and the opportunity to combine gaining practical experience at a highly-regarded firm with studying for a masters part-time – it immediately seemed like an ideal place to begin my career as an economist.

What have you worked on while on the graduate scheme?

I began my rotations on the US Economics team, researching and writing about a whole range of topics from consumer spending, the labour market and monetary policy to the impact of ‘Black Friday’ and the overseas cash holdings of US multinational firms. I also spent time on the Global Markets team, learning how economic developments fed into our forecasts for stock markets, bond yields and exchange rates, and I did a rotation covering housing markets. Like most economics graduates I didn’t initially have much knowledge of property, but ended up finding my time on the team really interesting and useful in deepening my understanding of how the economy works.

What is the most rewarding or surprising aspect of your role at Capital Economics?

Graduates are given a lot more responsibility than at many other firms – from the first week of my first rotation I was already contributing to the written output of the team. By the end of my first six months I had worked on a whole range of publications, from 10-minute rapid responses to economic data releases to co-writing an in-depth Focus piece, as well as learning how to prepare client presentations and even sitting in on a couple of meetings.

What have you worked on since progressing from the graduate scheme?

I ended up returning to the US team and am now a Senior Economist. As well as continuing to contribute to all aspects of our written research, I now play an active role in shaping our economic forecasts, regularly interacting with clients and journalists, and helping mentor new joiners. A few highlights include presenting on our European conference tours, getting quoted on the front page of the FT and being interviewed on live TV.