Retail Banking Intern Review

I really liked the environment within Santander. It was very relaxed yet professional at the same time. Everyone was really friendly and nothing was ever too much trouble. I enjoyed the majority of the tasks I was given. However some were a bit boring (but this was expected). My manager was very keen to allow me to explore other business areas and I had to fly around the country several times (however I don't think the other interns in my office were given this opportunity). The only downside of the internship is that I feel that I wasn't really doing any "real banking". I was based in a controls team so the work I was given was regarding processes and fixing errors within them. I personally would have liked to have applied some of the knowledge I have gained at university to my work.

I feel that my colleagues valued me quite a lot as I worked on a lot of tasks that they needed completed by did not really have the time to do. Some of these tasks had be sitting around for years and had to be reported on every month so they were very happy that they could be "ticked off the list". I also took responsibility for completing some monthly reports. These were quite time consuming so it was evident that this was appreciated and valued by my colleagues as it saved them a day or two each month. I was also always given positive feedback during my weekly 1:1 which is always nice to hear.

My manager was very good in terms of giving me support and guidance. Any time I was unsure, no matter how small the issue, I could always ask her and she would help straight away. With regard to non business issues, she was also very supportive and offered really helpful advice on issues such as whether or not to look for graduate jobs or to continue further study and quite often she would put me in touch with others who could help both on these personal aspects as well as putting me in touch with the right people to help me solve business tasks.

At the start of the internship I was not busy enough and my manager acknowledged this. I was often completing smaller tasks and constantly asking my manager for more work. However as the weeks progressed, I was given substantial projects and these gave me a good amount of work to get on with. I could work independently on these tasks but my manager was always there to give her recommendations and answer any queries that I had.

I would say that I was given a good degree of responsibility on tasks during my time with Santander. With regards to my main projects, I was more or less just given a complex problem which was often unclear to myself and my manager and then I had to interpret what was the problem, devise a plan and then implement it. My manager was always there to double check anything and make executive decisions but I would say that the bulk of the responsibility fell on me. My manager (and her manager) trusted me to make presentations and recommendations for them to take into meetings, so I would say I was given quite a lot of responsibility.

I would say that on the whole, the skills I developed will not assist me in my degree studies but may do when I begin work. As previously mentioned, I did not really learn any skills relating to finance or banking solutions. However, I did learn softer skills such as how to influence people via email, how to co-ordinate with others in different geographical locations, my excel skills improved as have my problem solving and how to conduct myself in a business environment.

The general atmosphere was good, quite relaxed. Due to lack of suitable computers, I was initially sitting on my own so didn't really talk to anyone. I was then moved to sit near a team and this was a little better but still not much interaction. Eventually as the internship went on, I talked a little those sitting near me. However, when I started talking to people a little more they were really friendly and they invited me to take part in events such as office Olympics and other fun events.

We were initially told that we would know where we would be working (location) by the end of April, however did not find out until mid June. This was quite an issue for me because it meant that I had to lose my rented accommodation because I could not commit to continuing my rent over the summer as I did not know where I was based. I chased this issue several times but they would not tell me. When I arrived my manager was expecting me, but was unsure of how to set me up on systems and was not fully briefed on the whole process. However, in terms of induction days and off boarding days these were organised very well and ran seamlessly.

not much personal development on the internship but the grad program has quite a lot in terms of professional qualifications etc etc

Myself and other interns spoke with recent graduates and they gave a very honest account of what the graduate scheme is like. They discussed things like pay and opportunity for progression and I really do feel like Santander offers a very lucrative employment prospect for myself and other interns. They also told us about the opportunities for travel and working overseas which is something that I find very appealing.

Not really, did not socialise with anyone outside of work. Went for lunch with the other interns everyday.