Private Banking Summer Analyst Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my internship and felt that i learnt a lot over my 10 weeks. Being the only London intern at Adam and Company was great because it allowed me to get to know everyone, and for everyone to know who i was as there was only one of me - i think this helped to give me extra opportunties. It was also great to get an insight into what the working world is like and what i should expect when i graduate!

I felt valued by my colleagues and felt like i had established good working relationships with them all. This is definetly an upside of being the only intern in a small office - you get to know everyone and can help everyone within the office, and people are just as interested in you as you are with them.

I could not have asked for more support from my line manager, graduate manager or colleagues. Having weekly and fortnightly 121s was really useful as i could discuss what i had been doing, what i was going to be doing, and what i wanted to be doing. It made me feel like people really cared about how i was finding my experience and how they could make it better for me.

I found myself to be busier at the start of my internship than i did towards the end, however i was very aware that August is a quiet month. Having an individual report and presentation to work on was great as it meant i was never sitting around doing nothing, as i was able to spend time planning and writing these assessments, rather than having to work on my weekends to ensure it was completed.

I did feel like i could have been given more responsibility, however i did still have a lot. I was trusted to go to client meetings, answer the phones and key in vital credit applications. To be put in front of clients means i was obviously trusted and is an exciting thing to be able to go to!

Whilst i don't think the skills i have developed will assist me greatly in my degree studies, they will definitely benefit me wherever i start a graduate scheme and have helped me understand a little more what sector i would like to go in to. The volume of client meetings i have attended has meant that i have learnt the skills of how to conduct myself with a variety of different clients and this is definitely something that will assist me during my early career.

The atmosphere was great because it is a small office so everyone knows each other and gets on well. I expected it to be busier and louder but i think you find that more on the trading floor, whereas private banking is slightly less intense and therefore there is less nee to be shouting and completing urgent trades and deals!

The internship was amazingly well organised - the Private Banking team were provided with a huge number of training days, evening drinks, networking events and a lot of talks from senior members. All the interns were sent up to Edinburgh for 2 days which was amazingly organised and the entire thing ran smoothly and it was great to be given the chance to meet all the RBS interns. We had a file which listed what we were expected to have done each week which allowed me to ensure i stayed on track.

The company invested a lot and i would definitely be surprised if any other bank had invested more into their interns. We were provided with so many networking events to expand our own network, as well as training ranging from how the systems work to what products Coutts and Adam offer. If anything, in the first few weeks, i had too many training days!

Future employment prospects are appealing - on the last day of the internship you find out how you have performed on a daily basis, as well as the results of your individual report and group presentation. Adam and Company have a strong and varied graduate scheme which should result in you rolling off as a private banker and start to build up your own set of clients. There is a chance if you start work in London, that you will spend some of your placements up in Edinburgh so that is something to be considered before applying!

The social scene was really good amongst my fellow interns - we all got on really well and made the most of our time in London. It was slightly difficult being the only intern at Adam London whilst there were 6 at Coutts, but as long as you make the effort to go over and see them then it is great. I didn't socialise with my colleagues outside of work but they all tended to rush home at the end of the day which is understandable!

London is expensive as everyone is aware! I lived at home which made rent cheaper, but obviously to rent in London and afford the food and drink is difficult! But the internship is paid and this makes the life affordable but it is definitely a lot more expensive to live and work in London! But it is a great place to be and a very sociable environment so i would always highly recommend it

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There were a lot of activities to get involved in, more so at Coutts than at Adam as Coutts is a larger organisation but i was able to go over and get involved if i wished to. Adam and Co have just set up wine tasting events which would have been great to get involved in. Perhaps it would be good to also set up some sporting events every few months.