Summer Intern - Technology & Operations Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my summer internship at Santander, as the members of the team I worked in were very nice and helpful. I also learnt a lot of completely new skills in my time here which I can confidently apply to different situations. I have made good friends and contacts for the future and have enjoyed my time here working on an internal project.

I felt very valued by my colleagues as my opinion on certain issues was usually asked for. Also when I attended meetings with senior members of staff, I was given room and the opportunity to contribute and have my opinions voiced to the team. My colleagues also seemed consistently appreciative of the work that I had completed and helped with during my time here.

I was given a lot of support by my managers during my time here and also for the work I carried out on the project I was set. My managers gave me guidance and help with any of the tasks in which I required assistance. They were very good at making time to teach me new skills and accommodating to any questions I had.

I was very busy on a daily basis and entered the office each morning, knowing what tasks I had to complete That day or the following week. The project I was assigned was one which presented many challenges, but also gave me the opportunity to have a consistent work flow, throughout my time at Santander, ensuring I didn't get bored at any stage.

I was given a lot of responsibility and free reign with the majority of the work I was set, during my time here. I was partially responsible for helping to transform an internal site used by people in the firm on a daily basis. The responsibility given to me was also met with guidance and assistance from other members of the team.

The skills and training I have received over the last few weeks, will prove to be very useful in my degree, as the coding I have learnt can be used in my final year design project. Also, the team work skills and the ability to adapt to changing situations and arising problems can be used in other aspects of my degree too.

The general atmosphere in the office was quite relaxed and friendly. Majority of people were helpful and willing to put their work to one side for a little while to assist or aid any interns with work that they were finding difficult. Everyone was focused on working hard and doing their job well, but there was an emphasis on working as a team.

The set up and organisation was very good with regular emails and updates from the overall team. The dates of events planned were sent well in advance and everyone was fully informed of arrangements that had taken place. There was constant feedback from my manager and other team members on my progress and how to approach certain tasks.

I feel like the company invested a lot in the interns, as the programme was very structured and involved a lot of organised activities and events. A lot of the training received and work completed was well thought out with different elements such as presenting our work at the end of the 10 weeks.

The future employment prospects look good, with the opportunity to be accepted onto the graduate programme if performance in the internship is successful. Your manager keeps you fully informed throughout the internship and holds weekly meetings to update you on your progress so far.