Intern, London

The title is two tokens long, 'Intern' and 'London', and that is genuinely all of it: no division, no start month, no length, no intake year. The page itself is seven lines. 3i describes itself as an investment company specialising in Private Equity and Infrastructure, investing in mid-market companies headquartered in Europe and North America, and then asks you to 'register your interest in an internship by clicking Apply and providing your CV and contact details'. Source

Registering interest is not the same as applying to a seat. There is no dated intake behind this page, so what you are joining is a list that a recruiter reads when a team actually needs someone. Send the CV, because it costs ten minutes, but do not count it as one of your live applications and do not stop looking for 3i's dated postings.

The posting does not say which side of the house the intern sits on, and at 3i that is the whole question. Private Equity buys and runs mid-market companies on a fund-style deal cycle; Infrastructure holds long-life assets on a different time horizon, with different modelling, different diligence and different exits. They are two different jobs and two different careers. Nothing on this page tells you which one you would be walking into, so make it your first question rather than preparing for both.

33 people have held London roles at 3i Private Equity since 2018.

25 people have held London roles at 3i Infrastructure since 2018, so the two businesses are comparable in size. This is not a big buyout house with a token infrastructure arm bolted on; either answer to the question above is a real career at the firm.

3i says it generates returns for its shareholders and co-investors by investing in private equity and infrastructure assets, that as proprietary capital investors it takes a long-term, responsible approach, and that it aims to compound value through thoughtful origination, disciplined investment and active management of its assets. Source

'Proprietary capital' is the phrase to notice, because it changes what the job feels like. It means 3i invests its own balance sheet rather than money raised from outside investors into a fund with a fixed life, so there is no fundraising cycle and no clock forcing an exit at year seven. In practice that means fewer, longer-held positions and more time spent on the companies already owned, which is a different rhythm from a classic buyout fund.

162 people have held London roles at 3i Group as a whole since 2018.

This page has carried the same register-your-interest text since it was posted on 4 February 2025, with no closing date and no intake attached. Treat it as a standing mailbox rather than a live vacancy: there is no queue to be early in and no cut-off to be late for, and a CV sent today sits in the same pile as one sent in six months. Nothing on the page says it has closed, so it is worth doing, but do it in the ten minutes it deserves and spend the real effort on dated applications.

The posting states no degree year, no graduation window, no minimum grade, no right-to-work condition and no closing date. The entire application is the Apply button, a CV and your contact details. There is no cover letter, no form and no test mentioned anywhere on the page. Source

With nothing published to screen against, your CV is the entire screen, and it will be read cold by someone with no covering note to frame it. That makes the top third of the page decisive: your finance experience, your numbers and something specific about mid-market private equity or infrastructure need to be visible without anyone having to hunt for them.