Corporate Banking Intern Review

I really enjoyed this placement as I got involved with a vast array of projects giving me a real insight into the bank.

At the beginning of the internship I felt like a bit of a nuisance as I had no prior knowledge of banking. However as the internship progressed I was able to get more involved and felt more valued.

The support and guidance I received was very good. My line manager checked more than once a week that I had work to do and that I was enjoying myself and all of my colleagues in the office were willing to help as and when I needed it also.

My work load was very well balanced in general. I had some very busy days and some less busy days but as a whole it was perfect. I had enough time to be able to focus on what I was doing and learn as much as possible while still having enough to do to keep busy.

I wasn't given much personal responsibility as in a corporate banking placement I couldn't have all the responsibility in case of an error. That being said I did get involved with some important projects which I was jointly responsible.

I think that the skills I have learnt will help me a t university and beyond. I have greatly improved my time management and initiative skills over my time here. The projects that I was working on took a number of weeks to complete so I needed to organise my time to meet deadlines as well as try and juggle 2 or 3 projects at one time.

The general atmosphere was typically very good. I was quite lucky because I managed to work in 3 different offices and everyone in each of the offices were very friendly and helpful. We have also been for lunch for a colleagues birthday and have organised lunch for my last day so there is a very good atmosphere here.

In general the Internship was set up well. The application process was a little bit disjointed at times where we didn't hear back regarding the outcome of interview/assessment centres when we were told and we were also quoted the wrong salary during the process. However once the process started we had an intern on-boarding event which was very helpful and set us up to start. After that it was down to our managers to look after us and make sure all was going well, however the intern coordinator kept in contact to make sure that we didn't have any problems.

I feel like Santander did invest in me throughout my internship. I was always encouraged to get involved and learn as much as possible and I feel like this internship was a stepping stone to a graduate job so they were trying to get the best out of me. There was also webinars throughout the placement containing some more general insight into banking which was very helpful.

I think the future employment prospects within Santander are very good. I very much hope to be offered a place on their Graduate Scheme upon completion of this internship and then their is good scope for progression through the company. They have a future leaders programme in place which fast tracks exceptional individuals through to higher managerial positions on top of the usual progressions of promotions.

Yes there was a good social scene both with my colleagues and the other interns. On the internship we needed to do a charity challenge in a team of interns which was a good way to meet them. On top of this we also went out for lunch and drinks in our team. Amongst colleagues as I mentioned earlier we went for lunch for birthdays and people leaving so a good social scene amongst both.

I was working in Milton Keynes. The socialising was very cheap as there was a Wetherspoons pub very close by which served cheap lunches. In terms of living I got quite lucky as I live in Milton Keynes so I didn't need to rent I could just live at home. This saved me a lot of money but if I had to rent it's still not extortionate in Milton Keynes.

I didn't go out at night while I was on my internship, however as I know it Milton Keynes does have plenty of choice when it comes to nightlife. There are bars and pubs and clubs in the town centre tailoring to any individual so if you wanted to you could easily go out.

Outside of work there are opportunities available for activities. I started slightly too late but there was a big treasure hunt for charity which I know a lot of my colleagues got involved with. There are also some sports teams that play during the week such as cricket and softball. As well as the social activities stated previously.