Bank intern's death raises questions about race to wealth

[RandySF]

he death of an intern working at the London offices of Bank of America Merrill Lynch has prompted calls for city firms to take more responsibility for the ambitious graduates who push themselves to the limit to secure jobs at the world's top banks.

Moritz Erhardt, collapsed at his London home in Bethnal Green on Thursday, after allegedly working until 6 a.m. for three days in a row at Bank of America Merrill Lynch's (BofA) investment banking division. The cause of his death is unknown.

London's Metropolitan Police confirmed they are not treating the death as suspicious, and said the post-mortem has yet to be completed.

Attracted to the glass towers of finance in London, New York and Singapore by the prospect of securing a full-time job and hefty wage, future "masters of the universe" often face 20-hour days in some of the most adrenaline-soaked offices on earth.

Weekends at work and meals in the office are par for the course with anecdotal reports of the "magic roundabout" where interns get a taxi home after dawn and leave it waiting while they have a quick shower and then return to work.


http://www.nbcnews.com/business/bank-interns-death-raises-questions-about-race-wealth-6C10971970

[pscot]

1. The Japanese have a word for it---karoshi